If the Scarf Fits,Maybe?
by Kekepikapika
Summary: Ash comes down with a bad cold shortly after leaving Angie's house. He wanders off and unexpectedly runs into Paul, who is injured. Read to find out how everything plays out! Fluff everywhere, because I unintentionally prolonged funny, awkward, or cute moments between characters. -COMPLETED-
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi, this is my very first fanfic, so no rough comments please!**_

 _ **This takes place during Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension. I decided to make it a sickfic since those are my favorite kinds of fanfics to read. I was watching the episode "If The Scarf Fits, Wear it!" episode and I thought it make a great follow up fanfiction. It setting is between the end of "If the Scarf Fits, Wear It!" and the beginning of "A Trainer and Child Reunion!"**_

 _ **I own this story, but none of the characters from Pokemon, and that's ok, the show is still great. I don't have to own the company to write the fanfiction, do I? Enjoy!**_

 **Chapter 1**

It's been a long day for Ash, Dawn, and Brock, who are now waving goodbye to Angie and her parents. They spent their day with Angie at her family's daycare and helped her with the pokemon she was taking care of, Lickilicky. Angie had received it from its trainer when it was a Lickitung, but when it evolved Angie could have been in real trouble for allowing it to due so. She was luckily let off with just a warning from her parents and the trainer seemed thrilled to see his newly evolved pokemon.

It was sunset and Ash and his friends were on their way to Hearthome City for Ash's next gym battle. As they turned to go, Angie and her parents are heard talking behind them as they walk down the path.

"A-aa-waachooo...!" Ash suddenly sneezed, looking quite surprised and a bit startled that it happened. Dawn, Brock, Pikachu, and Piplup all look surprised as well, it was a little random after all. They soon laughed because Ash looked very confused, almost as if he didn't know what happened.

"Woah, heh,...that was weird..." He laughed, nervously.

"Y'know, Ash, it's said that when you sneeze there's someone talking about you," Brock said as he made a gesture towards Angie's family behind them.

"I've never heard anyone say that..." Ash rubbed his nose with his index finger. He seemed to gain a hint of red in his face.

"You haven't?" Dawn asked, she clearly didn't believe him.

"Nope..." Ash walked a little faster to stay ahead of the group.

"Oooooh, I think someone has a crush," Dawn teased, she wore sly smile upon her face.

Ash spun around to face her, also continuing to walk backwards; it somehow made him a little dizzy. "I do not!" He said, then turned his head and crossing his arms.

"I believe you do, and there's no denying it, Ash Ketchum." Dawn continued to tease while waving a finger. "It's all too obvious."

"Heh, you mean like your crush on Drew?" It was Ash's turn to flash a sly smile, his arms still crossed,thus making Dawn fall silent.

"E-eh,...huh!? How could you even say that without gagging!?" Dawn blushed fiercely, giving Ash and 'I'm-gonna-kill-you' look. "Hmph...! Y-you-!"

"Alright you two," Brock said calmly cutting in, "that's enough..." He didn't want them to attract the attention of any wild pokemon while they were walking through the darks woods. The sky was already starting to blacken.

"S-sorry...," Dawn apologized, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Y-yeah, s-sorry Brock..." Ash's voice sounded a little shaky. He still felt a bit dizzy, but didn't let it show.

"You alright, Ash? You sound funny..." Dawn looked a little concerned.

Ash actually did feel off when they left Angie's house, but he didn't think much of it at the time. He didn't want anyone to worry. "Don't worry, Dawn. I'm fi-WOAH-OOF!"

While Ash was walking backwards, he had no actual way of seeing where he was going and tripped over a fairly large rock in the path. Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder just in time before Ash landed hard with a loud 'thwump.' "Ow...!"

"Ash!" Dawn and Brock said simultaneously, rushing to kneel down next to their friend.

"Piplup!" Piplup shouted. "Pika Pi!" Pikachu followed after Dawn and Brock.

"Are you alright!?" Brock asked.

"Ugh,...mhm..." Ash sat up, rubbing the back of his head, then began to shiver slightly, 'did the air just get colder, or is it just me?' He thought to himself.

"Pika Pi, pi pikachu?" Pikachu looked very worried.

"Are you sure?" Dawn was worried as well, Brock shared the same look of concern.

"Ye-yeah,..." Ash said, giving a weak smile, but then it soon disappeared, "A-aachoo!"

"Pika, chu pi..."

"It's ok Pikachu, I-I just got the w-wind kn-knocked out of me, ...I-I'm f-fine..." Ash said, looking towards the ground. His face began to look pale.

"You don't sound fine," Brock said giving Ash a serious look.

Dawn nodded agreeing with Brock.

"Maybe we should set up camp?" She asked, turning to him.

"Probably..."

"What!? B-but, I-I can walk a little f-further, a-an-!" Ash began, he was trying to stand up but Brock grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back down.

"No, Ash!" His grip loosened, "...You need to stay put."

"B-but, I-!" Ash was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit that lasted several minutes. The red on Ash's face became a more visible.

Brock stood and turned to face Dawn."Alright, we should start setting up camp." He sighed, after Ash's coughing subsides.

"Right!" Dawn smiled.

"Awww..." Ash whined, allowing his shoulders to droop. He was looking forward to that gym battle.

Dawn, Brock, Ash released all of their pokemon from their pokeballs. They always appreciated the help of there pokemon. Dawn began to gather firewood with the help of Pikachu and Piplup, while Brock, Happiny, and Buizel set out ingredients for dinner. Everyone else helped clear the area so that it was nice and comfortable for laying down their sleeping bags.

Ash took off his backpack and sat down at the base of a berry tree. He leaned against the trunk and watched as everyone worked.

"We've got the firewood, Brock!" Ash heard Dawn say.

"Alright! Now you guys can start a fire. You can ask Chimchar to help with that." Brock said back to her.

Ash let out a long sigh, then looked up towards the night sky. He just now realized that the sun had already gone down. Ash hadn't been paying much attention to it, but he had forgotten how beautiful stars could actually be. It made him think back to the journey he had in Kanto. The first one where he wasn't too far from home. Ash kind of missed home, and most importantly his mom. "Heh, Mom... If she saw me now she'd probably get mad. 'You need your rest, Ash! Now get to bed this instant, young man!' Hahaha-ha-achoo!" Ash knew his mother all too well. She wouldn't allow him to protest. Call it mother's intuition, but Ash's mom could easily spot when something was wrong; Even if he hid it well. Ash used to think she had some kind of weird superpower. He then shuddered, but not by the thought. To Ash it seemed to be getting colder, 'but on a warm summer night?' He was a little confused, but then shook it off. He didn't want to believe that he was sick, even if he did feel a little unwell.

Ash heard a sound coming from the forest and his eyes shot open, showing him the soft grass underneath him swaying in a gentle breeze. He hadn't realized that he closed them. "...?" He soon heard the sound again, it was very faint, then decided to follow it. He soon found a chance to escape, after learning that everyone was distracted. Surely he could sneak away for just a moment. He wouldn't be gone for long, right...?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **I'm late! Sorry this chapter late, school work and stuff. Thanks for your reviews!**

 **I** **DO NOT** **own Pokemon**

Ash found himself wondering aimlessly into the dark forest before him, staggering occasionally. He even stumbled face first into a tree trying to figure out where that sound was coming from. Ash decided to stop and rest and leaned against a tree. "A-ahchoo!" The forest seemed to sway in front of him, making him dizzy once again. "Ugh,.." he groaned, pulling his hat down over his eyes and hoping that everything would stop moving around him. "Now I guess I know how Spinda feel..."

* * *

Back at camp, Dawn, Brock, and all the other Pokemon had finished setting up and Brock had finished dinner not too long after. He decided to make soup, since Ash wasn't feeling well he probably wouldn't want anything too heavy.

"Can one of you go and get Ash? He should have something to eat."

"Pikapika Pika Pi!" Pikachu offered, then scurried off to get him. He found Ash's backpack leaning against a tree, "Pika Pi!" He called out and happily ran over to it expecting to find Ash. But, upon his arrival, there was no one there. "Chu...? ...Pika Pi..., PIIIKKKAAA PIIIII!" Pikachu called out. No answer. He held up his ears high in the air and looked around, but no sign of Ash. He only picked up a faint sound. The cry of a pokemon perhaps? Pikachu ran back to Brock and tried his best to communicate with him. "Pika pikachu, pi pika Pika Pi!" Pikachu shouted in frantic sort of way.

All the other Pokemon look worried and shocked to hear the news.

"What's the matter, Pikachu?" Brock asked as he knelt down next to little yellow mouse pokemon.

"Pika Pi pikachu pika!" Pikachu ran in circles thinking of a way to help Brock understand. The other pokemon began to jump and shout around Brock. Pikachu then pulled his ears and began to make a face that looked similar to Ash.

"What's going on over here?" Dawn asked, running over to meet the group. "Did something happen? Where's Ash?"

"Ash,... Wait a minute,...where is Ash?" Brock turned to Pikachu, "Are you saying that something is wrong with him?"

Pikachu nodded along with all the other pokemon. "Pika pika!" He pointed to the tree and signaled for Brock and Dawn to follow.

They arrived at the berry tree where Ash's Backpack sat.

"There's no one here... Where did Ash go?" Dawn said looking out into the forest. It was very late, and she couldn't hardly see the trees ten feet in front of her; she shivered at the sight. "Y-you don't think he got lost, do you?"

Brock didn't know what to say "Probably, but I don't know... We should try to find him." Brock ran to his backpack to get a flashlight and turned in on. "Let's hurry!"

* * *

Ash was now moving again. His dizzy spells would come and go every few minutes, but he never stopped walking. Ash didn't want to lose the sound he was following. He had gotten a lot closer to it after walking quite a distance. Then something shone, he saw something in the corner of his eye, glimmering in the moonlight. It was hidden amongst the bushes, and against Ash's better judgment, he walked towards it.

Ash thought his mind was playing a few tricks on him, but what he saw was no joke. There were pokemon traps everywhere beyond the bushes, as far as the eye can see. He shook his head in disbelief, 'who would do something like this?' Ash couldn't really think, let alone focus. His head was throbbing, making the action nearly impossible.

'Shink shink'

"Huh!? Hachoo..!" Ash snapped back to focus, he had gotten lost in thought. "That sound again..." He muttered to himself, then walk slowly and cautiously through the traps.

'Shink shink'

"Argh...! Enough Weavile, you're not making it any better!"

Ash ducked behind tree, his fast action made his throbbing headache worst and almost knocked him unconscious. Ash winced from the pain, "Gh...!" He drew a shaky breath, still shivering. He put his back against the tree and looked back. There was someone sitting on the ground on the other side of the path, but Ash couldn't see their face. It was too dark.

'Shink Shink'

"That's the sound...!" Ash whispers to himself, "...almost sounds like metal." 'Metal...' His mind echoed, 'the traps that I saw earlier...?'

'Shink Shink'

"Err! Weavile! I said enough!"

The trainer pushed his Weavile away, sending it beside the tree that Ash was leaning on. A cloud of dust formed where it landed. Ash tried to stay as still as he could, but a gentle breeze blew the dust cloud towards him. "ACHOO!"

Weavile turned immediately and attacked without hesitation. "Vile!"

"No, wait! Stop!" Ash said, flailing his arms. He was knocked to the ground by the pokemon. Ash grabbed the Weavile's wrists in order to stop its attacks. His grip wasn't very strong.

"Weavile return..." The trainer said as a red beam appeared out of nowhere.

"Wait, that voice..." Ash turned his head from his ground position. "Paul!?''

 **So? How was it!? Let me know what you think! I appreciate you reviews and value your opinions! No harsh comments, though.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **The last chapter I posted didn't seem long enough! I got lazy, so here's a new chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

 **I** **DO NOT** **own Pokemon**

"What are you doing here!?" Ash half yelled, but soon after had a violent coughing fit.

"That's none of your business..." Paul snapped. "I'd ask you the same thing, but I don't think it's worth the effort." He scoffed, folding his arms. Doing so somehow looked as if it caused him pain.

Ash sat up and pushed aside Paul's remark, then just looked at him blankly with his eyes half closed and a slight frown on his face. He was too tired to actually do much. And facial expressions would only make his headache worse, so he had to be careful. There was an awkward silence for a while before Paul broke it.

"Well, you look awful..." He said finally. Paul had studied Ash in the moonlight within that few moments of silence, and it didn't look like he should be out there. Ash's clothes were dusty, his hair looked like it was soaked with sweat, he was shivering, his face was pale, and the region around his nose and under his eyes was red.

"Y-you don't look too great yourself." Ash sniffled, studying Paul. He was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree. Paul seemed to be fine, but then Ash looked at his right ankle. It was caught in a pokemon poacher trap. 'I thought so...' Ash remembered seeing them during his walk here. Then pointed to the trap, catching Paul's attention.

"What's it to you?" Paul said closing his eyes.

"Well, I c-could help." Ash sounded a little hoarse.

"If my Weavile couldn't open this trap, why would I think that you could?" His eyes still closed and arms still crossed.

"Because I've seen them before..." Ash crawled over to Paul's right foot and examined the trap.

Paul opened his eyes and sat up straight, "Hold it, I didn't ask for your-Ngh!" He grunted, clearly he was in pain. His eyes closed tightly.

Ash didn't look it, but he was now very concerned. "Paul, you shouldn't move too much. Your ankle might be hurt pretty badly."

"Ugh,...so, I don't care. I have to get back to my pokemon away." Paul had a camp set up about fifteen minutes away from where he was now. He didn't like camping out, but it seemed like a good opportunity to train his pokemon. "Just leave."

Ash couldn't just leave him, there were wild pokemon and he was injured. Leaving was not an option, unless Paul were leaving with him, of course. "I can't leave you like this, that wouldn't be...," Ash paused for a moment, "...ah-ahchoo, great..."

Paul wanted to protest, but before he could say anything Ash started to open the trap. There was a slight clicking sound, then a short beep, and the trap opened. Paul was completely confused, but astonished. "How did y-...?"

'Weavile spent an hour trying to open it.' Paul was silent for a second, then sighs. "Weavile obviously didn't try hard enough. It's useless."

"N-no, i-it's made so pokemon c-can't open it." Ash was getting colder by the second and head felt like it was going to explode. He didn't want to look weak in front of Paul, though. "A-achoo...!"

"Ugh, keep your germs to yourself." Paul brushed off his sleeve, then examined his ankle for himself. For the first time in a long time, Paul was a bit worried. He had never gotten injured badly before, and his brother Reggie was always for there for him even if all he did was trip or fall down. ' _paul,...Paul...'_

"Paul,...hey Paul! Earth to Paul, you there?" Ash waved his hand in front of Paul's face. "Paul!"

Paul snapped back to focus. "Huh..?" He had forgotten where he was for a moment, but soon remembered.

"You looked kinda weird. You were just staring at the ground, it almost looked like you weren't breathing."

"Yeah, whatever..." Paul didn't want look weak in front of Ash.

Ash then carefully tried to move Paul's ankle off of the trap, but his shaky hands made it difficult and he accidentally bumped right into the part of his ankle that hurt the most.

"AUGH! WHAT IN ARCEUS'S NAME DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Paul yelled through clenched teeth, which is really hard to do. He shut his eyes so tightly that tears formed. Ash could only see them because of the moonlight.

"S-sorry! Sorry!" I-I didn't mean to-"

"Just don't...!"

"I'm o-only trying to help you. You can't do everything for yourself, ya know..." Ash felt a sneeze coming on, but let it escape as a sigh. 'It must be really late' Ash tensed up to force himself to stop shivering. "I'm gonna try this again." Ash readied himself.

"What?" Paul's eyes are now open.

Ash moved Paul's ankle swiftly, but gently upwards. It was half-way out until Ash sneezed and the trap turned on again. It suddenly clamped on Ash's wrists, making him drop Paul's foot.

"ARGHh! They both screamed.

"...ugh..." Then, fainted from the pain.

* * *

"Oh, Ash. Where are you...?" Dawn said quietly to herself. She and Brock had been looking for Ash for a while now. It was already eleven o'clock and they couldn't even imagine how terrible Ash's condition may be.

Pikachu let his ears droop. "Pika Pi..."

"Don't worry, you two." Brock went to lay a hand on Dawn's shoulder. "We'll find Ash. We have to make sure he doesn't get too cold or too warm."

"What do you mean, Brock?" Dawn looked more worried than ever.

Brock didn't like to see Dawn like this, but he was just as worried himself. "Well, Dawn, back when we first noticed that Ash was sick, when I told him to stay down, my hands were on his shoulders and I could feel Ash's temperature."

"Yeah, I remember that. He was shivering, too. Like, he was cold or something." Dawn thought back to when they left Angie's house. "He looked really tired when we waved goodbye to Angie and her family."

"Pika...?"

"Piplup..." Piplup leaned closer into Dawn's arm and nuzzled it.

"I'm sure that Ash had a fever, and if we don't find him soon he could get worse." Brock pondered for a while.

Brock and Dawn both heard a loud yell. "That sounds like Ash!" They said simultaneously. Dawn gasped, and then darted towards it as fast as she could.

"Dawn wait!" Brock shouted and ran after her, Pikachu following close behind him.

Dawn could hardly see in front of her, all she knew was that Ash was out there, somewhere, in danger. "Ash...!?" Dawn wasn't aware of where she was going. "It's so d-dark." She coward slightly. It would have been useful if I had a light. Dawn mentally facepalmed, 'Brock has the flashlight!' She was going to stop, but ended up tripping into a small ravine.

"Dawn!" Brock dropped his flashlight and then slid down the ravine under Dawn, catching her bridle style. While sliding, a few sharp rocks hit him, but he just held on to Dawn until they made it to the bottom.

Pikachu grabbed Brock's flashlight in his teeth, then carefully made his way down the slopes.

It all happened so fast and Dawn couldn't catch her breath. She looked down at Piplup. He had his wings over his eyes, trembling. "I'm sorry Piplup." She said with tears in her eyes, it had shaken her up pretty badly as well. "That must've been really scary for you, too." Dawn pulled Piplup into a tight hug, she stayed like that for a brief moment until she realized she was sitting on Brock's chest. "Brock,...!?" She gasped. "Are you okay!?"

Brock didn't say anything, he was trying to catch his breath as well.

"Brock, are y-!?"

"I'm fine, Dawn. Are you alright?"

He said, finally.

"Yes, I'm alright. ...thank you..." She said quietly, recollecting what happened.

"Um,...well. Can I stand up now...?"

"Hm...?" Dawn looked down. "Oh! Sorry." She stood up and moved aside. "There..."

"Thanks." Brock sat up and prepared himself to stand, but a jolt of pain prevent that. "Gh!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu walked towards them with the flashlight now in his paws. It was pointed at the to trainers before him. Pikachu looked at Brock and tilted his head. "Chu?"

"What...?" Dawn looked down at Brock. "Brock, you're still on the ground...? Get up, or here, let me help." Dawn extends her arm to him. Brock attempts to take it, but then Dawn suddenly gasps. "Oh my gosh! What happened to your arm!?"

Brock looks down at his arm. He had a deep cut from the top of his wrist to his elbow. 'Hmm, I wonder...' Brock then felt his back, 'wow the rocks hit my back too.' Brock was silent for a while.

"Brock!" Dawn shouted at him. She could have attracted some wild pokemon in the forest and who knows how awful that would be.

Brock gave a sudden jolt, "Gah...!" He was startled by how loud Dawn was. "Y-yes, Dawn?"

"Let me see,...!" Dawn sat on her knees, Piplup sat in her lap. She then took Brock's arm.

Pikachu moved closer to give them more light. He held it steady.

"Just be careful... " He watched as Dawn looked over his cut.

"Did you bring any bandages with you?" Dawn asked, she had a very serious tone and a sort of determined looked on her face.

Brock reached into the chest pocket of his vest and pulled out a bandage roll along with an alcohol towelette. "Yes, I did, but..."

Dawn opened the towelette and wasted wiped no time cleaning his cut. "Ow! Hey-Dawn take it easy." Brock hissed in pain.

"Sorry, Brock." She then took the bandages and began wrapping Brock's arm. She was gentle and paid very close attention to how neat it was. "But,...?"

"Huh? Oh,... I was saving them just in case Ash may have injuries when we find him. He could get hurt out here."

"You wouldn't be much help to him if you didn't take care of yourself. Anyway, I was certain that I heard Ash's voice." Dawn said while holding out her free hand, the one that wasn't handling Brock's arm. She needed something to cut the bandage so she could secure it in place.

Brock the gave her a small pair of scissors from one of his other vest pockets. "It did sound like him, but also like someone else."

Dawn took the scissors and then made the cut. "Yeah, I thought that was weird." She held out her hand again.

Brock knew exactly what she needed, and gave her some tape. "It's strange to think that others would be out here this late at night."

"Well,...we're out here, ...and done." Dawn released Brock's arm. It was now neatly wrapped and secured. "Now for your back."

"Oh,..." Brock blushed faintly. He didn't seem to like Dawn helping him. He was so used to helping her and Ash with whatever they needed, not the other way around.

 **Long enough for you? I typed whatever I could think of to make this chapter interesting. Also, I tried to write it the best I could. Let me know what you think, I'm always looking for reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **We're at Chapter 4! I think I like writing fanfic's. Maybe the next one I write will be better than this one.**

 **I** **DO NOT** **own Pokemon**

An Ursaring and her young Teddiursa cub walked through the forest after having a late night snack. Ursaring was walking on all fours, looking out for traps, while Teddiursa sat on her back. Ursaring came to a halt when she notices two boys lying still on the ground. Teddiursa crawled onto her head to get a better look. One had a red thing on and the other one didn't and it looked as if they were both sleeping.

Teddiursa pointed to the one in the red thing. "Ursa, Rwar rwa..." His wrists were caught in the trap. Teddiursa asked her mother what to do. "Teddiursa?"

Ursaring looked to her cub and explained that he was wearing a hat, then turned back to two the boys. "Ring, Ursaring." Ursaring lifted Teddiursa off of her head and walked over to the trap, she was very careful not to touch the other boy. Ursaring used her claws to pry open the teeth on the trap, then moved his wrists out with the her other paw. It was a very swift, but gentle action. "Ring..." She said, notifying that she was done.

"Rwa rwa...?" Teddiursa went up to the boy with the mysterious red 'hat,' as her mother called it.

"Urs, ring ursaring." Ursaring warned her. Teddiursa was standing close to the trap and Ursaring didn't want her to get caught.

"Di-ursa rwa." Teddiursa answered, she was very careful around the trap. Teddiursa tried to wake them. "Ursa sa?" But, no reply. "Sa...?" Ursaring explained to her daughter that they may be sleeping, or most likely unconscious.

"Teddiursa, sa sa?" Teddiursa asked if they were going to take them to their home.

"Ring." Ursaring nodded. Then grabbed the two boys and put them on her back. She signaled for her cub to get to, too. "Ursa, ring ring."

Teddiursa readied herself to jump on, but just as she was going, the hat fell off of the other boy's head. She quickly grabbed it and put it on. "Rwa Ursa!" She seemed pleased with herself, her mother couldn't help but smile. Teddiursa, now ready to go, jumped on with the hat secured on her head and they walked off into the dark forest.

* * *

"Alright,... done." Dawn had just finished putting the bandages on Brock's back. She crawled in front of him to see the result, allowing Piplup to step down first. "Oh, wait!" She holds up a hand before Brock moves, then reached into his vest for a smaller bandage. It was now lying on the ground since it was in the way while Dawn was trying to tend to the cuts on his back. "Here..." She placed a final bandage on a small cut on his face, specifically on his cheek under his eye, then allowed Piplup to climb back in her lap.

"Thanks Dawn." Brock adjusted his shirt. He had to pull it up in order for Dawn to clean the cuts on his back. "But,...I guess, we now have to find a way out of this ravine."

"Yeah..." Dawn sighed, looking up at the night sky. Everything was so dark around them, all she could see was stuff that was in flashlight range and midway up the slope. There were silhouettes of trees decorating both sides, with the moon resting in the middle. Dawn whimpered slightly, even if it were a pretty sight, she didn't like how dark it was outside.

"Hm...?" Brock followed Dawn's gaze, his eyes also met the beautiful night sky. "It sure is nice tonight." Brock sighed as he stood up, putting his vest on. "We should get going, though..."

Dawn looked up, Brock was extending his good arm to her. "...ok" Dawn shifted Piplup into one arm and grabbed Brock's hand with the opposite.

Pikachu gave the flashlight to Brock and then climbed on his head. "Pika!" Pikachu happily ruffled Brock's hair.

Brock chuckled a little. "Heh, are you comfortable up there Pikachu?"

"Kaaa." Pikachu squealed, telling him yes.

"Alright, Dawn. Don't let go of my hand, we can't afford to get lost." Brock knew that if they were separated again, it could probably lead to disaster. "We already have Ash to worry about."

"Right, let's go!" Dawn nodded affirmatively, with a determined but kind of worried look seen in her eyes. With that Brock and Dawn walked through the ravine, Pikachu and Piplup close in tow, hoping to find a way out.

* * *

"mmph..." Ash felt as if he were moving, but he couldn't find the strength to open his eyes. Sleep had overtaken him, and it wasn't very surprising, Ash felt terrible. His head was aching, causing his eyes to remain closed tightly from the pain. This made his headache worse, and all the while he couldn't seem to decide if he was cold or hot. He really did need rest, every muscle in his body was refusing to move anyway.

Teddiursa noticed that the boy next to her had made a sound. She climbed on to his chest. 'He must be cold, he's trembling a lot,' she thought to herself. She then curled up into a ball and fell asleep with him.

"pi-ka...chu...," he mumbled, as he recognized the newly added weight on his chest. Involuntarily, he lifted his hand and let it rest on Teddiursa. "hmmm..." His body seemed to relax a little because his friend was there, or so he thought.

Teddiursa didn't pull away, she took it as a 'Thank you' for sharing her body heat with him. Soon, they both feel into a deep sleep.

Ursaring felt the two move on her back, but didn't think much of it. She felt that Teddiursa would be watching over them, just in case something were to happen to either of the boys or even herself.

 **I don't know how many chapters I want to write for this! It's hard to believe that this story takes place all in one night.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Here's a new chapter! I'm very late with this one, but it's good. Pokemon is good too, you know I don't own the characters, though. That's ok, I'm having fun writing about them!**

"Ugh..." Ash had woken up in a fire lit cave. He felt warm fur underneath him. It was different than the cold floor his legs were resting on.

"Haha,...stop it Teddiursa!"

Ash heard someone laughing and quickly turned around to find that Paul was playing with Teddiursa!? She was fiddling with Paul's hair, and wearing Ash's hat! He watched for a while as they laughed and played.

Paul, soon after Ash had noticed them, picked her up and pretended she was an airplane. He made wind sounds and starting dipping Teddiursa in the air every once in awhile to make the ride more fun.

"Rwa Rwa!" Teddiursa was enjoying the game very much. "Teddiursa! Sa!

"Hahaha," he set Teddiursa down gently in his lap. "Wasn't that fun?"

"Ursa!" She cheered.

"Heh, good. But, it would be better if I could run around." Paul said, smiling at Teddiursa. His smile was warm and loving, certainly not the kind of attitude he had toward his own pokemon.

'I've never seen him act this nice...' Ash thought to himself. "hmm,..."

Paul heard a sound from the other side of the cave. 'Uh oh' he thought. Paul quickly put Teddiursa down onto the stone floor. "I see you're awake now."

"Ursa...?" Teddiursa wanted to play some more. She wondered why they stopped in the first place.

"Heh,...yeah..." Ash sat up and crawled closer to the fire, and all the while, for some odd reason, his wrists hurt like crazy, but he kept pushing himself forward. He then sat down just across from Paul. 'I should have walked over instead,' Ash thought, 'but my legs are too weak to do that.' He stared into the fire for a few seconds, then looked to Teddiursa. Ash put on a smug face,"I didn't know you liked playing games, Paul."

Paul simply leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "What are you going on about...?"

"Like you don't know." Ash leaned in a little close annoy him.

'Jeez,...he's not going to leave me alone,' Paul thought. "I didn't play games with Teddiursa," He paused for a second, "nor would I want too."

"Rwarr...?" Teddiursa whimpered, then sniffled. She felt a little hurt. 'He doesn't like me anymore...?' Teddiursa didn't know what she did wrong, they were having so much fun, and she began to cry.

Ash shot Paul an angry look. "I never even said Teddiursa's name. But look, Paul, that wasn't very nice. See what you did, y-!?"

"Don't cry Teddiursa..." Paul sighed, immediately regretting what he had just said. He picked her up from the cave floor and sat her in his lap. "I didn't mean any of that, Teddiursa. I don't even know why I said it in the first place..."

Teddiursa hugged his chest while he gently rubbed her back. Paul's touch was comforting to her. "Raa...," she burrowed deeper into his jacket.

Paul couldn't help but smile at this, 'she must really like me, I guess...'

Ash smiled as well, "Teddiursa really seems to like you, Paul. She doesn't look like she's going to let go of you anytime soon."

"Yeah, I guess so..." Paul agreed as face returned to it's normal expression. He was in a dark, fire lit cave with a broken ankle, a person he hates, and he didn't have most his pokemon. Worst of all it was the middle of the night! 'Why me...?' Teddiursa nuzzled against him. Paul smiled once again, with her there it wasn't all that bad.

Ash stayed silent for a long time, then spoke."Hey Paul...?"

"What?" Paul said this normally, which surprised Ash a little. He didn't speak in his usual tone, most of the time he's rude and somewhat mean.

"What time is it...?"

Paul brought his wrist to eye level to check a watch that Ash didn't even know he had. "It's 11:45,... no wonder it's so dark..." Paul looked at the cave entrance.

Ash followed his gaze, 'the sky is still beautiful' he thought to himself.

"Hmmm, it's not that dar-a-a-AHCHOO!" Ash quickly covered mouth. His sneeze made his entire body shake and echoed through the cave. He stayed still with his hands over his mouth, listening until the noise faded.

The noise scared Teddiursa, causing her to dig her claws into Paul's side's.

"..." Paul just stared at him. That sneeze was a little too loud. Then, he winced after noticing the sudden pain from his sides.

"...Ring?" The sneeze was so loud it woke Ursaring. She simply stared at Ash, wondering what could have caused him to make such a loud noise just then.

"ugh,...sorry..." Ash groaned, letting his hands down from his face. His head was spinning again, and he wasn't even standing up. 'How does that work?' Ash thought to himself. 'Shouldn't you get dizzy only when standing?'

Paul looked him over. "Are you alright...?" He actually had a hint of concern in his voice. "When we met in the forest you really did look terrible..." As he said this, Paul noticed that Ash was swaying slowly from side to side. It was barely visible, but it easily progressed as he spoke.

"Not really, but I think I'll be fine... I'm just cold..." Ash's eyes were closed. His headache was coming back stronger than ever, and that sneeze nearly knocked his brain loose. "...ah-ahchoo!"

"Hmmm..." Paul frowned at Ash. 'Only this idiot would go walking in a forest at night sick and with no pokemon.' He then sighed. This, again, got Ash's attention.

"Huh...?" His eyes opened halfway and moved sluggishly to meet Paul's face. It was full of disgust, like always, and surely he was going to say something awful. "What...?" He asked, his voice sounded tired and hoarse.

"Ugh, nothing..." Paul straightened his back and turned Teddiursa around to face forward. It took him a while to do so, since she was so comfortable in her previous position.

Teddiursa looked at the fire and her eyes followed bits of ash that wandered out of the flames. She occasionally caught ones that fell towards her, then blew them away.

Ash was still gently swaying back and forth, confused of which way was up or down. He couldn't really tell left from right either, the world in front of him was spinning wildly in many different directions.

"What the...?" Paul couldn't figure out what was happening to him. 'What is he looking at...?' He lifted a hand waved Ash's face. "Hey...! Ash...!"

Ash didn't know what was going on, all he had heard was,

'...hormf... ...arshne...,'

and there was a strange blurry object in front of him. He didn't know what it was, nor was he going to figure it out. Ash shivered a bit, it then became hot. Then hot became very hot, but very hot became blazing hot. Blazing hot, became insanely hot, what next lava!? Ash felt himself trembling. But, it was so hot, he didn't think it was possible. "heh...wow..." He mumbled.

"huh...?" Paul stopped waving his hand. Ash did just say something, but it was hard to understand. It sounded slurred. "What?"

Teddiursa looked at Paul, confused about the situation. "Sa sa?"

Ash's eyes began to roll back slowly, "Like lava..."

"Rwa...?" Teddiursa didn't know what he was talking about.

"Lava...?" Paul didn't understand either. "You mean the fire...?"

"La-...va..." Ash fell back, landing hard, and now lying motionless on the cave floor.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And thank you to the people who are following me and my story. Also, to those of you who are readers without accounts, you should make an account! An account would help keep you up to date on your favorite stories. Also, other users would gain more followers! It's nice to know that people are reading our fanfics, ya know!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Let's see,...I've made now six chapters of this fanfic. I wonder how many I'll actually write. Maybe this will be the last one? I don't know...**

 **I don't own Pokemon or its characters. Enjoy!**

Paul didn't know what to do, he just stared at Ash. He was lying still, very still. Paul looked to Teddiursa, then back at Ash. What was he supposed to do? Paul never recalled himself being in a situation like this.

Teddiursa crawled silently over to Ash. Cautious with every step. She sat down at his side and didn't know what to think. 'Maybe he was just tired,' she thought, ' he is sick. She turned to Paul while pointing at Ash, "Ursa...?"

Paul sat there for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. "He probably just fainted, Teddiursa..." he said to her. "Idiot,...he allowed this to happen to himself..." Paul folded his arms and sighed "But, I can't leave him like this. Teddiursa, Ash might have a high fever. Maybe that's what he meant when he said "Lava." Is he very warm?"

Teddiursa climbed onto Ash's chest and nudged his cheek with her nose. He was really hot, so hot that Teddiursa backed away almost as soon as she touched him. "Ra ursa!"

"That's not good... We have to bring it down or we might have a bad situation." Paul reached into the his back pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, then held it out to Teddiursa.

She looked at it, then up at Paul.

"...sa?"

"Teddiursa, I need you to take this and put water on it. It's for his fever." Paul said, signaling that it was for Ash. "Cold water would help him cool down. My brother used to do this when I got sick."

"Ursa!" Teddiursa nodded firmly, letting Paul know that she understood him. She then grabbed the handkerchief in her mouth and scurried off out of the cave.

Paul moved closer to Ash. This was rather difficult with an injured ankle. "I'll kill him when this is all over..." Ash looked absolutely awful. He was shivering, covered in sweat and breathing unevenly. Paul placed a hand on Ash's forehead and his own. Ash flinched a little when he felt Paul's hand. It must have been cold. "Hmmm,... He is very warm..."

* * *

Teddiursa ran as fast as she could to find a river or a pond, or maybe even a puddle. Any sort of water, it had to be clean, of course. But, one problem, she didn't want to go too far and get lost. How would she find her way back?

Suddenly a chilling breeze blew on Teddiursa making her sneeze and fall back, "Ra-a-achoo...!" She accidentally released a small ice beam and from her mouth came tiny shards of ice. She then remembered what Paul said, '"Cold water would help him cool down."' 'Cool is cold, She thought, 'and ice is cold.' Teddiursa picked up one of the shards and held it for a moment. She then stood up and ran as fast as she could to find the closest source of water.

* * *

"Hey, Brock, look! I found a way up!" Dawn called, waving her arm and pointing to the right side of the ravine. She had long released Brock's hand, even when he said not to, but remained close to him until they found their way out.

"Shhhhhh...!" Brock ran over to Dawn from the other side of the ravine. "You shouldn't be so loud." He then stopped beside her and looked up. "Where...?" He asked, clearly unable to see what she was talking about.

"Pika...chu?" Pikachu was confused as well. He didn't see anything but vines and rocks on the wall in front of them.

"Here..." Dawn grabbed Brock's arm, being careful not to reopen his cuts, and pointed the light of the flashlight upward along the wall over a thick patch of vines. "See these,...? We can use them to climb up the wall and get out of this place."

"Great idea, Dawn." Brock smiled, he walked forward to examine wall then frowned. "Although, I don't think that's a very safe thing to do..."

Dawn shrugged. "Why not? It looks fine to me..."

"If we are climbing, how will we see or know where we're going? We would need both of our hands to climb up, meaning that we can't hold the flashlight..."

"We can't,..." Dawn smiled. "...but maybe Pikachu and Piplup can?"

"Chu...?"

"Piplup...?"

Pikachu and Piplup looked at each other and then looked up the wall. It was really high up, they would have to be careful.

"Pikachu pika pika!" Both of them could take turns holding it, Pikachu suggested.

"Piplup!" Piplup agreed with a firm nod and his fist on his chest.

"Does that mean you'll both do it?" Dawn asked, excited.

"Pika!"

"Pip!"

Brock sighed and looked at the vines. "Looks like we're going up, then..."

"Alright!" Dawn cheered. Let's g-"

"SSSHHHhhhhh...!" Brock hissed, "There could be wild pokemon out here, Dawn!" He half yelled very softly. "You don't want to be attacked, do you!?"

"Oh right!" Dawn covered her mouth, "Sorry..." To Dawn, Brock was now the one being too loud.

Brock handed Pikachu the flashlight and allowed Dawn to start climbing before him. She told Piplup to stay on her back. After she was a few feet up, Brock started. Pikachu was on his head, shining the flashlight in front of their path so they could see what rocks were a head. They had a long way to go.

* * *

The occasional sound of wood crackling in the fire was all that could be heard. Ash lay still while Paul poked the fire with a stick that he found lying around. He couldn't really help Ash at the moment. All he could do was keep the fire going, so Ash wouldn't get cold.

"Why me...?" Paul sighed, "Why do I have to look after this idiot? I'm no babysitter, nor am I a nurse. Isn't this a job for his, so called, 'friends'?" Paul let out a low growl and angrily shoved a piece of wood in the fire. "He'll regret our next battle, maybe he'll realize how worthless his pokemon are." The wood stood there for a second, but then fell back nearly hitting Paul's injured foot.

"Gah!" He yelled, pulling away. This caused a lot of pain, making him cry out and fall over hugging his knee.

"...you alright...?" Ash coughed.

"...?" Paul quickly turned around to see a half awake Ash staring at him. He rolled his eyes as he sat up and then returned his glare to the fire, "...ugh."

"...hm, ok then." Ash decided not to ask again and began to sit-up. Suddenly a smoking hot stick swung swiftly towards his face, stopping inches from his nose.

"LIE DOWN." Paul didn't even look in his direction, but spoke to him firmly. The stick was held in his left hand horizontally in front of Ash.

"W-whoa, okay. T-take it easy, Paul." Ash settled back down as Paul moved the stick back into the fire. He shivered when his back touched the stone floor and he was breathing heavily as if air was thin, like on a mountain top. "A-achoo...!" Ash noticed that Paul was still hugging his knee. "Hey, Paul?"

"What?" Paul didn't turn his head, but he did move his eyes to look at Ash. He seemed a little annoyed.

"D-did you hurt y-your knee or s-something?"

"No..."

"...Then, what happened?"

"None of your business." Paul said as he pushed a log further into the flames. 'It wouldn't fall out if it were higher up' he thought.

"I-If you tell me, I-I could p-probably help you, ya know."

"I don't need any help..."

"Are you sure?" It was clear that Ash didn't believe him.

"YES, I'M POSITIVE!" Paul half yelled, accidentally shoving the log he was moving causing bits of wood and ashes to fly towards him.

"Paul watch out!"

Paul shielded his face with his arms and shut his eyes tightly, it seemed like everything was now in slow motion. He held his breath as the pieces flew closer and closer. But, he didn't feel anything. Why?

 **I think that's enough for this chapter. What do you guys think happened?**

 **P.S. I know Teddiursa can't learn ice beam, but in this story she knows it, so deal with it.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Here's Chapter 7, sorry I took so long. I had school and stuff... Have fun reading!

I DO NOT own Pokemon

"Sa sa!" Teddiursa came running into the cave with a bunch of ice; tied in the handkerchief Paul gave her. She heard Ash yell something and rushed in to see what was going on.

Paul had his arms up, protecting his face and Ash was lying down on the ground in front of him. He quickly looked up, obviously wondering why he wasn't hit with burning wood chips and ashes. He then realized that Ash had collapsed once again, after piecing the situation together he instantly knew what had happened. 'He protected me...!?' Paul grabbed Ash's shirt collar and spun him around to look at him. "What's the matter with you!?"

"W-what? D-did you g-get hit...?" Ash said while staring at him with blank, but tired expression.

"That's not the point, Idiot! Why did you do that!? you could make your condition worse!" Paul yelled.

"Uhh..." Ash shrugged. He just knew that he reacts fast when someone is in danger. "...it just happened, ya know?"

"Ugh!" Paul threw Ash aside, as if he were a rag doll. He was beginning to become very annoyed.

Ash hit the ground hard, but he caught himself so that his head wouldn't hit the cave floor. "Hey! Why'd you do that!?" Ash tried to push himself up, but the action caused him to re-injure his wrists and fall back down. "Gh...!" Both had tiny cuts and received a bad sprain from the pokemon trap when it clamped down on him.

Paul didn't answer him.

Ash managed to get into a sitting position, "Well!?" He asked rudely.

"Do you ever shut up!?"

"You're the one who's yelling, Paul!"

"At least I make sense!"

"Paul, you never made sense. Why do you hate me so much!? I never did anything to you!" Ash began to feel a little nauseous from yelling like that, but he didn't care. He didn't understand why he was so cold and rude to everyone, especially him.

"..." Paul closed his eyes.

"Did you even hear a word I said!?"

"..." He then clenched his fists.

"Paul...!?"

"..." Paul was now trembling with rage. His face was in a snarling position and all that could be heard from him was a very low growl.

Ash relaxed a little, wondering if something was wrong with him. "Paul...? Are you alr-"

Paul whipped around to face him, now standing on his knees. "WHY DO YOU KEEP ASKING IF I'M OK!? WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF! YOU'RE JUST LIKE MY BROTHER, PUTTING OTHERS FIRST, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT!? REGGIE'S NOTHING MORE THAN A GOOD FOR NOTHING PATHETIC LOSER WHO BEAT EVERY GYM IN KANTO, JOHTO, HOENN, AND SINNOH! HE CHALLENGED AND BEAT EVERY FRONTIER BRAIN, EXCEPT BRANDON! REGGIE DIDN'T WIN BECAUSE HIS POKEMON WEREN'T RAISED WITH STRICT TRAINING! HE'S GONE SOFT! BEFORE THAT BATTLE AGAINST BRANDON, I THOUGHT REGGIE WAS THE STRONGEST TRAINER ALIVE! LOOK WHERE HE IS NOW! HE GAVE UP! I'M GOING TO CHALLENGE BRANDON AND WIPE THE FLOOR WITH HIM AND HIS POKEMON, TO DO WHAT REGGIE COULDN'T DO WITH HIS PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A POKEMON TEAM!"

Ash didn't know what to say. He could only stare with his mouth slightly agape.

Paul was huffing and panting from from the entire scene he just made. Tears had managed to form in the corners of his eyes without him knowing, but they never fell.

"Paul, uh..." Ash started, but was interrupted by the sound of running.

Teddiursa was running to Paul. She heard it all. She sat there, where she was, and listened the entire way through, not understanding what exactly he was so upset about. Teddiursa just wanted to comfort him, or at least attempt to calm him down.

Paul looked up to find Teddiursa jumping towards him. She landed face first into his stomach, causing him to almost fall backwards. The movement made Paul notice the pain in his ankle, but it didn't matter much right then.

Teddiursa hugged Paul as tightly as she could and he soon returned the hug, leaning forward a little so that her feet could touch the ground.

Ash closed his mouth. He didn't even hear Teddiursa come into the cave, but he was kind of glad that she cut in when she did. Paul looked as if he was going to punch him. Ash couldn't really understand why Paul was so upset, but he could at least try to. "...Paul, I can't help the fact that I remind you of your brother, but... Um..." Ash felt another wave of nausea coming on and was suddenly at a loss of words.

"...Never mind it." Paul sighed, then slowly released Teddiursa and gave her a pat on the head. "Thank you, Teddiursa." Through this, he kept a straight face. When Paul turned around to get back in a sitting position, he winced, but it was barely visible. It actually seemed like he was just going to blink, but Ash knew what he saw. Paul's ankle was probably killing him from moving around so much. As soon as he was settled Teddiursa sat down in front of him and leaned back, resting her head against his stomach. Paul sighed again, but this time it was a loving one. He really did appreciate Teddiursa's kindness.

Ash crawled over to him, trying desperately not to fall over due to his terrible case of vertigo and injured wrists. When he finally made it, he sat down beside Paul. Ash placed a hand on his shoulder, unable to say anything to or help him any other way. He couldn't understand Paul's feelings at the moment, but Ash felt that he could at least show him that he cares.

Paul slowly lifted his head to find Ash's hand on his slumped shoulder. At first his expression was a disgusted frown, but then he relaxed by taking a deep breath and letting it go as a small sigh. Paul didn't know if he were mad at himself, his brother, or Ash.

Randomly and out of nowhere came loud grumbling noise that echoed slightly in the cave. Everyone froze.

"...W-w-wh-what was that...?" Ash said, clearly shaken, allowing his eyes to scan the cave.

"...?" Teddiursa looked up at Paul. She seemed to know where it came from. Ash followed her gaze to Paul, who was wearing an undeniably hilarious poker face. Sweatdrop, dilated eyes, everything!

"...uhh." Paul didn't move, but he knew that both Ash and Teddiursa were staring at him.

Ash couldn't help but laugh. "Paul,..." he chuckled, "...w-was that you!?"

"Ursa sa sa sah!" Teddiursa was laughing as well.

"...yes." Paul answered turning away to hide his blush tinted face. He couldn't help the fact that it happened. Paul hadn't eaten anything since before he left to walk in the forest. He didn't have any food with him at all.

"HAhaha-" Ash clutched his stomach and fell on his side, groaning in pain. "ooooooooooohh..."

"Ash!?" Paul turned around and saw that Ash was on his side, trembling. "What's wrong!? What happened!?"

"Rwa rwa!?"

"Stomach...hurts...killing me,...f-feel like I'm gonna-Urk!"

"Gonna what?"

"Ursa!?"

Ash got up and sprinted to the cave entrance, then immediately turned left.

Paul and Teddiursa leaned forward, trying to see where he went. All that could be heard were gagging noises. Paul cringed, "Ugh, what did he do to make himself so sick...?"

* * *

"Pika pika!"

"Do you see the top, Pikachu?" Brock asked, looking up, but not really able to see what was there.

"Pika, Chaa!" He squealed. Pikachu was very happy, now they could get out of the ravine and continue looking for Ash.

"Piplup!?" Piplup held the flashlight throughout the middle of the ravine. How come he got to find the top? Pikachu just got the flashlight back a few minutes ago. Piplup was hoping to be the hero this time.

"Really!? Can you see it, Brock?" Dawn asked, her arms were getting tired and she couldn't wait to get back on her feet.

"No,...but if Pikachu sees it, then it must be there..." Brock kept climbing up until he reached what looked like the side of a cliff.

Pikachu pointed ahead. "Chu Pika!"

"Pip-piplup..." Piplup mumbled to himself, clearly jealous of Pikachu's discovery.

"Well, Dawn, it looks like we found the top." Brock glanced over his shoulder, "I'll pull myself up, then help you up, okay?"

"Okay, go for it!"

Brock allowed Pikachu to jump off and then prepared to hoist himself up. He timed it perfectly, moving quickly, but carefully as he shifted to flat land.

"Ok, now me." Dawn said, climbing up further to reach Brock.

Pikachu held the flashlight downward so they could see.

"Right." Brock anchored himself with his bad arm and helped pull Dawn up with his good one. While doing this he felt a little light headed, but he didn't let it bother him due to the current situation. "Alright, grab on."

Dawn held onto Brock's wrist and he did the same to hers, so their hands wouldn't slip. "Gotcha Brock! Hang on tight Piplup."

Piplup nodded, "Piplup."

Brock helped Dawn until he was sure that both of them were a safe distance from the edge.

"Piplup, look! We made it!" Dawn cheered, removing Piplup from her back twirling him in the air.

"Pikachu Pi-ka!" Pikachu also cheered as he danced around the both of them.

Brock sighed and walked under a nearby tree to lie down in a patch of grass.

"Brock...?" Dawn jogged to his side and leaned over him. Pikachu did the same. "Why are you down there?"

"I'm just resting for a moment..."

"Oh, okay." Dawn smiled. She sat next to him with Piplup sitting in front of her. Pikachu placed the flashlight down on the ground. He then climbed onto Brock's chest and sat in an upright position. "Where do you think Ash could be?"

"I don't know, but let's hope he at least found some shelter." Brock said as he scratched behind Pikachu's ear.

Dawn picked up some grass and flowers. "Brock...?"

"Hmmm,...?" Brock continued to pet Pikachu.

"Do you know what time it is?" Dawn asked while tying and braiding the foliage in her hands together.

"Hmmm,... probably midnight or one in the morning..." Brock wasn't really sure of the time, but it was really dark outside, besides the light of the moon, so, he could only assume that it was the middle of the night. "We should probably get back to searching for Ash, though. He could be in real trouble."

"Ok- ...and done!" Dawn revealed a flower crown from her hands and placed it on Piplup's head. "Aww, it looks great on you, Piplup."

Brock sat up to see what Dawn was talking about, holding Pikachu so he wouldn't fall. "Wow, Piplup, that is a very nice crown you have."

"Pika-pika." Pikachu agreed. It did look very nice.

Piplup waved his hand in an 'oh, due go on' kind of way, then flashed Pikachu a 'you jelly?' face.

Pikachu frowned. "Pika-"

"Oh, and I made one for you, too."

Piplup fell to the ground in shock, knowing he wasn't the center of attention anymore.

"Here Pikachu." Dawn neatly placed a slightly smaller crown on Pikachu. "Now you both match!"

"Pika-Cha!" Pikachu smiled and twitched his tail. He then flashed Piplup a mocking face, 'Jealous?'

Piplup folded his wings and turned away. This earned nervous laughter from both Dawn and Brock.

"Okay, Dawn." Brock stood up, regaining his lightheadedness once again. "Let's go find Ash." He held out a hand to help Dawn up.

"Right." She nodded. Dawn took Brock's hand and stood up as well. Piplup jumped into her arms and Pikachu held the flashlight, getting onto Brock's head again. "Let's go!" Dawn said as turned towards the forest, and with that, they were gone. Unaware of the dangers it had in store for them.

I meant to fix Chapters 3 and 5 for very few grammar errors, some of the sentences weren't worded correctly, I'll probably never do it, though. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, Dawn and Brock are out of the ravine and walking through the forest. What will they find?


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **New Chapter!**

 **It's the next chapter, the ultimate goal**

 **Ready for battle, brave and bold**

 **I know we're gonna make it**

 **We will find a way!**

 **Oh Oh! We've come so far**

 **Fought so hard to get where we are!**

 **Oh Oh! We belong together**

 **It's always you and me!**

 **POKEMON!**

 **I** **DO NOT** **OWN POKEMON, but it would be nice to...**

Ash sighed with a hand over his stomach as he walked back through the cave entrance. His head was pounding and his chest hurt, but overall he felt much better than he did before. "...why is it still so cold in here...?" Ash mumbled to himself, then nonchalantly scooped up what looked to be a bag of ice and continued walking. He was staring at the ground, unaware of where he was actually walking to. His mind went completely blank when his gaze met a pair of familiar blue and black sneakers.

Paul stood in front of him shoving his jacket to Ash's chest. Ash winced as the pain there slightly increased. "Sorry,... but put this on."

"Paul how are you standing...!?" Ash's voice was low and hoarse; his throat seemed to burn as he spoke.

"Never mind it..." Paul turned his head and closed his eyes.

Ash looked down to find that Paul was offering it to him. He was hesitant at first '...what if he needs it?' Ash stood there for a moment, frowning in confusion about his inability to make a decision.

"Just take it..." Paul said calmly, but quickly. He was becoming a little impatient due to the rapidly growing pain in his ankle. Paul knew he shouldn't be standing on it, he could feel blood soaking through his sock and his face turning pale.

"Alright..." Ash dropped the bag of ice, then took the jacket and put it on in one swift motion. It felt a little heavier than he expected. "hm..."

Paul looked up and raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Nothing. It's fine." Ash looked to Paul. "So, what's this about."

Paul walked towards Ursaring, this was pretty hard to do since he was trying to walk normally. "We're going to find your friends."

"What!?" Ash half yelled. "How? I don't ever remember where they are!" Ash coughed a few times before Paul spoke.

Paul rolled his eyes and looked back at him. "That's why we're going out to look for them."

"...oh." Ash felt a little silly for asking a question with such an obvious answer. "So, Ursaring is gonna take us?"

Paul facepalmed and sighed heavily, "YES."

"..." Ash stood there, wondering what he could've said that was wrong.

"Ugh,..." Paul was feeling light headed from standing and watched as drop of blood fell from his pant leg. He failed to notice that it already soaked through his sock. Paul looked down at it and stared as his vision began to blur.

"Paul?" Ash stepped forward. Earning no answer, he began to fall. "Paul!" Ash ran forward, catching him before falling down himself.

"Ursa...? Teddiursa rose from the cave floor rubbing her eyes. She had been napping and was woken up by Ash's voice. She then noticed them both on the cave floor. "Sah-sa...?"

Ash pulled himself up to sit on his knees and rested Paul's back against side. "Agh! Why are you so heavy!"

Teddiursa rushed on all fours to stand next to the both of them. She looked at Paul's injured ankle, the grayish-black on his pant leg was now a darker shade with a glimmer of crimson seen in the light of the fire.

Ash shook Paul a little, hoping he would wake up soon. "Paul? We have to hurry up and get help." Paul stirred, but didn't open his eye's. "You don't look like you'd be able to make it any longer without medical attention... Brock could bandage your foot."

Paul grunted, placing a hand to his over face. "Uh,... Y-yeah let's go find them..."

Teddiursa had tears in her eyes. "Rwa...?" She sniffled.

"I'll be fine, Teddiursa" Paul said opening his eyes and removing his hand to wipe a fallen tear from her cheek. "Could you help us wake your mother?"

Teddiursa nuzzled his hand with a small smile, then walked over to Ursaring, who was snoring softly in the corner of the cave. She sat down and clenched her fist, preparing herself. This action earned looks of confusion from both Ash and Paul.

Ash looked at her. 'what's she going to do?' He thought.

Paul obviously didn't understand it either, but he sat there patiently. Watching to see what her plan was.

Teddiursa took a deep breath, causing Ash and Paul to lean slightly forward with curiosity. She then screamed and wailed as loud as she could, thrashing her tiny arms and legs violently in a fit of rage.

Ursaring immediately shot up in a battle ready position. She saw Teddiursa and then looked to Paul and Ash, growling angrily. She ran up to them and let a mighty roar escape her throat.

Ash and Paul flinched as the sudden gust of wind that hit their faces, while their hair blew behind them. Ash heard a slight ringing in his ear. Paul sat in astonishment. He didn't know what to say about what had just happened.

"Ring...!" Ursaring snarled, baring her sharp teeth.

Teddiursa ran over to stand in front of the two boys. She protectively held her paws up and told her mother what had happened. Teddiursa said that she had to help them wake her up, they never did anything wrong.

"...ur" Ursaring nodded. She then bowed her head, apologizing to both boys for getting angry at them.

"It's okay, Ursaring. I understand." Ash said, giving her a weak smile. He could feel his leg starting to fall asleep due to Paul's weight.

"Never mind it, you were only trying to protect her..." Paul trailed off. He was trying to figure out how he got on the floor. 'Did I blackout or something...?' Paul began to mumbled to himself in a very low whisper.

Ursaring grunted and sat down in an upright position ready to listen to what they had to say. She hoped it would be something important.

Ash spoke after a brief moment of silence. "Ursaring, do you mind helping us find our friends? We could really used their help. Right, Paul?"

Paul wasn't really paying attention, he just kept mumbling to himself quietly. Almost as if he were trying to solve some kind of complex equation.

"Paul...?" Ash tapped him on the shoulder.

Paul stopped and looked up. "What?"

"Didn't you want to wake up Ursaring to ask if she would help us find Brock and Dawn?"

It took Paul a few seconds to recall his original plan. "...y-yeah." Paul's gaze shifted to his blood soaked pant leg and a sudden wave of nausea hit him. He wasn't too fond of blood.

Ash was a little concerned, but he didn't say anything. He didn't want Paul to get mad at him again. "Alright, well... can I stand up now...?"

"What...?" Paul realized that he was leaning against Ash. He had an indescribable expression on his face; he looked kind of startled. Paul nodded awkwardly and sat up, allowing Ash to stand.

"Thanks..." Ash shifted back a little, then stood. "Woah..." He wobbled a little and almost fell back down. Ash's leg had already fallen asleep and didn't seem to want to wake up. Ash became a bit frustrated from the tingling sensation that cause pain, but yet it tickled somehow. Ash just shut his eyes tightly and giggled a little waiting for the strange tingling to subside.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, my leg fell asleep..." Ash opened his eyes and sighed heavily. "Jeez,... Why are you so heavy?"

"I probably weigh just about the same as you." Paul said, folding his arms. He seemed to tremble a bit while doing so. The pain in his ankle was becoming unbearable. "Urgh..."

"...?" Ash looked over. Paul was still on the floor, but looking down at it. Ash held out his hand to help him up, he didn't think Paul saw the gesture, though. So, Ash walked around to stand in front of him and did it again. Paul still remained the same.

Paul looked tired, but he wasn't asleep. "..."

Ash knelt down beside him. "Paul...?" Now that Ash was a little closer, he noticed that Paul didn't look too well.

"...!?" Paul looked up and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw that Ash was right in front of him. "What!? Jeez...!"

"Sorry,... But, come on, we have to get going." Ash stood up and held out his hand again.

Paul took it and pulled himself up, standing on one foot. "Ok,..." He looked down at his injured ankle and sighed. "Let's go."

"Do you want me to help you?"

"No, I can walk by myself..." Paul tried to walk forward, but when he put his foot down his ankle wouldn't support his weight without causing him awful pain.

Ash slung Paul's arm over his shoulders and helped Paul as they walked over to Ursaring. She was standing by the cave entrance and patiently waiting for them to climb on her back.

Paul scooped up Teddiursa while Ash climbed on. Ash held out his hand to help Paul on to Ursaring. He pushed his hand away, "I'll do it myself..." He placed Teddiursa on first allowing her to take her time to get situated. When she was done, Paul rested his hands on Ursaring's side, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He concentrated hard, then opened them again and readied himself to jump. Paul stood on one foot, crouched a little, then jumped up swiftly. He pushed himself up and swung his legs around into a sitting position. His feet were inches away from hitting Ash's face, evening with him leaning back and out of the way.

Ash only blinked. He was surprised. Ash didn't know Paul was so strong, especially in his current state. "...A-alright, then." He also noticed that he was breathing a little too heavily. Paul didn't look very well at all. He looked how Ash felt, AWFUL.

Paul looked down at his ankle once again. Seeing the blood made him feel nauseous and dizzy. He shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. Paul then sighed and said "Let's go." With that Ursaring charged off into the darkness.

 **The End.**

 **How was it? Did you like it!?**

 **Just kidding, I'll write more. I would never just end a story like that.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **More words that took forever to type up. Enjoy!**

 **I don't own Pokemon.**

"Brock, it's kind of scary out here..." Dawn shuffled closer to him held his arm. Her eyes scanned the darkness around them, she had a strange feeling that they were being watched.

Brock noticed Dawn's hand on his arm, but he didn't mind it much. He felt a little uneasy about the darkness as well, but Dawn was already scared enough. So, he kept it to himself. "It's alright, Dawn. We both have Piplup and Pikachu to help us out if we find ourselves in a bad situation."

"Okay..." Dawn still held on to Brock's arm. She felt safer next to him. Out there, somewhere, it felt like something was watching them.

* * *

Ursaring ran through the forest huffing and grunting, looking around for something familiar.

Paul and Ash were struggling to keep their balance and tried to get a grip on Ursaring's fur. Teddiursa, on the other hand, seemed to have no trouble at all. She laughed and cheered as if she were on ride at the State Fair.

"uuuhh..." Ash groaned. He was becoming very dizzy again while also gaining a terrible case of motion sickness. "...c-...c-can you...slow down a little...please...?" His face had shown a faint tint of green.

Ursaring looked back with a worried smile and did an apologetic head bow. She had forgotten that they were sick and probably didn't want to ride at a very high speed. So, she slowed her run to a walk.

Paul didn't speak, he just looked ahead. He felt feverish, but he at least tried to look like he felt fine.

"...Ursaring?"

Ursaring tilted her head back and adjusted her ears to signal to Paul that she was listening. "...?"

"Do you remember where the pokemon traps are? The ones you found us by?"

"Ring, ursaring..." There were traps in many places in the forest, but she could probably find her way back to them. Ursaring thought for a moment, then nodded. "Urs-ring."

"...really...?" Ash was speaking very low, but could still be heard.

"Rwa, ur-sa!" Teddiursa gave Ash, who sat behind Paul, a thumbs up.

"heh,..." Ash returned the gesture through a coughing fit. 'Coughing and nausea?' he thought. "great..."

Teddiursa spun around to face Paul, who looked worn out and very sleepy. His head was down, but not very low. He had tiny beads of sweat scattered along his brow, his face was pale, with the exception of his flushed cheeks. His hand twitched every so often, but, other than the gentle rocking of Ursaring's slowed walk, he remained completely motionless.

"Sa...?" She leaned into his line of sight and waved her hand. "rwa rwa?"

Paul didn't notice her. He was completely zoned out, thinking of nothing. He was unaware of things around him with a strange feeling coming over him. 'What is this?' he asked himself. 'Why so-' "...empty?" He muttered.

"...?" Teddiursa didn't understand. 'What was empty?' She had no idea what he was talking about. Teddiursa placed her paw on his hand a shook it lightly. "Di...?"

Paul looked at the paw on his hand, then up to where his eyes met Teddiursa's. He almost felt numb as the corners of his vision were eaten and chipped away by darkness.

Teddiursa and Paul glared at each other for a brief moment. His eyelids were heavy, his eyes dark and dull, hers worryful and concerned. In the short time they spent together, she he had never seen him like this.

Paul watched silently as the image before him faded slowly. He could feel his consciousness slipping away. The world sunk into a pit of black around him and Paul suddenly grew weak. Teddiursa called out to him, but somehow her voice grew further and further away. Paul fell into a dreamless slumber, landing in Ash's arms.

"...wha-What the-!? Paul!?" Ash shook him. "...PAUL!?" No answer. "He needs help now, Ursaring." Ash looked up. "I don't care how fast we go! Let's hurry!"

"Urs!" Ursaring bolted through the forest dodging trees and jumping over bushes, knocking Teddiursa into Ash as well.

Ash allowed Teddiursa to stay on his back and looked down at Paul. Paul looked just as bad as Ash, if not, worse. "Hang in there, Paul..."

* * *

Pikachu and Piplup could be heard snoring softly as Brock and Dawn walked. Those two had been very tired and slept soundly, gently rocking with every step taken by Brock and Dawn.

Brock allowed Dawn to hold his arm for a while. The pain subsided long ago, but Brock had felt his arm go numb. Dawn was squeezing it a little too tightly. She didn't let go at all, not even once. She didn't want her and Brock to be separated again. No more ravines for her!

He didn't want to be rude, but he was starting to feel light headed again. "Dawn...?"

"Y-yeah, Brock...?" She nearly jumped from the sudden sound of his voice.

Brock tilted his head in her direction, but kept his eyes on the path ahead of them. "...I can't feel my arm..."

Dawn glanced down and noticed the tight grip she had on him. "Oh! I- I-I'm sorry..." Dawn let go and stepped away nervously, continuing to walk at his side. "I didn't mean to hurt you..." She whimpered.

"You didn't hurt me at all." He lied. His eyes slowly sliding to the left.

"...really?" Dawn turned to him.

"Well, not too badly..." Brock said, putting a hand behind his head.

"...oh..." Dawn looked kind of sad. Her eyes were glassy. She felt her body begin to tremble. Dawn felt as if the darkness was closing in on her, like unbreakable walls from which nothing could be heard.

Brock saw that Dawn had cowered."Dawn... If-" He let his arm down.

"hm..?" Dawn sniffled. She stared at the dirt path they were walking on, counting the rocks and stones that passed her boots.

"...if you're scared. You could hold my hand..." Brock lifted his hand from his side. "That is,... if you want too." He watched, from the corner of his eye, that she wiped some tears away.

Dawn took his hand gingerly and walked closer to him, whispering "...thank you." She felt a little better holding Brock's hand, it was comforting. Dawn never liked being in the forest at night, especially when it was very dark. She had always been afraid of the dark, but she never knew why.

Brock felt Dawn's shaking hand. 'I wonder what she's so afraid of...' He pondered on that for a while until they came to a point where the path split in five different directions.

"N-now where do we go...?" Dawn asked, looking around. Each path seemed to get darker a darker as she looked them over. "They all look the same..."

Brock ran the flashlight across each of them. He stopped when the light suddenly began to reflect back to them. It was on the third path, the one in the middle. "There's something over there."

"What do you think it is?" Dawn stood behind him.

"We should check it out." Brock began to walk, but stopped stopped when he realized he couldn't go any further. Brock looked back to see Dawn's eyes wide and horrified. She was holding him back. "What's the matter?"

"Th-there..." Dawn stared straight ahead. "There's s-something there...!"

"Yes, I know. We shou-"

"N-no, look!"

Brock lowered the flashlight a little, dimming the reflected light and saw strange figure with angry glimmering eyes.

Pikachu's ears twitched and then both Piplup and him we're awake. They were up so fast, it nearly gave Brock and Dawn heart attacks. "Pika!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked furiously. He was ready for battle if that was the case. Ash wasn't there, but he would still want Pikachu to help protect his friends.

"Pip-Lup!" Piplup was also ready to defend against any kind of attack. Whatever it was, he and Pikachu could handle it. They both jumped out in front, in the yellow glow of the flashlight.

"Stay behind me, Dawn." Brock didn't have to tell her, she was already there. "Pikachu and Piplup will protect us if need be."

They all stood in silence as the figure grew closer and closer. Dawn wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't move. She was paralyzed with fear and watched as the creature bared its teeth and roared loudly. They braced themselves. She could hear something in the distance, was it "...coughing?"

* * *

Ash fought himself to stay awake. He couldn't pass out, not now. Paul and him needed to find Brock and Dawn fast. His vision went from blurred to clear every few minutes, he was in no condition for this. The night air, cool and humid, made his eyes water and his nose run. Something was causing his throat to hurt and become irritated. Ash gasped and soon began to cough uncontrollably; he had been surprised by a light that he saw ahead. "Ursaring, that might be them! Head towards that light!"

Ursaring nodded, then ran past the traps going even faster than before, dodging and jumping over each one she encountered.

Ash couldn't seem to stop coughing, every time he breathed in he would start coughing again. It was very hard to take air in at this speed. It made his chest hurt. When Ursaring jumped, he felt Teddiursa's paws slowly slipping off of his back.

Teddiursa whimpered as she tried to reclaim the grip she once had on him. But, almost immediately after she shifted her paws, Ursaring jumped. Her grip was gone and tears formed in her eyes as time seemed to slow. She was terrified. "Rwa-!"

Ash grabbed her quickly, and just in time. If she were there any longer she would have been out of reach. He desperately tried to hold in a cough as pulled her in close, all the while struggling to hold Paul in place with with his other arm.

Teddiursa had her eyes shut tightly and she held on to Ash's hat. The tears in her had long drifted away in the wind. She cried for a few minutes soon after. Her entire body trembled from being startled so suddenly.

Ash's body jerked slightly with every cough he suppressed. It worsened his chest pain greatly and made it difficult to breathe. There was also a strange taste in his mouth. It tasted like blood and he only hoped to Arceus it wasn't.

Two figures appeared in front of the light. To Ash, they looked like pokemon. 'Is that..?' Ash tried to identify the familiar zigzag tail. His eyes widened. "Pikachu!?"

Ursaring turned quickly, startled by his sudden outburst.

"S-sorry-" Ash gasped, "Watch out Ursaring!" He pointed ahead to a giant tree root sticking out of the ground.

Ursaring tried her best to stop, but they were going way too fast. Her front legs slammed into the root, causing Ash, Paul, and Teddiursa to fly into the air as she tumbled forward.

Ash accidentally let go of Paul. He panicked and flailed his arms. Ash couldn't catch his breath, he seemed to be spinning out of control. The air began to rush past him faster and faster until he realized that he was falling. Ash gasped suddenly and went ridged. He felt arms and chest go numb. His vision grew black and, with that, there was silence.

 **Ok, calm down.**

 **Ash** **IS NOT** **dead, he's unconscious.**

 **Chill...**

 **Sorry, this took so long.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Alright, another chapter!**

 **I didn't mean to take so long writing. Sorry.**

"What happened!?" Dawn asked anxiously.

"It's rolling towards us!" Brock stepped back a little.

"What!?"

"Chuuu..." Pikachu growled as his cheeks sparked. He was ready to defend, Piplup was as well.

The creature's body rolled quite some distance before reaching them. It bounced one last time before landing on its side hard with a very loud 'thud'.

Brock lifted the flashlight to get a better look at it. "Its an..Ursaring..?"

Something soon fell from above them, but it wasn't just one, there were three.

"Look!" Dawn shook him by the shoulder and pointed up.

Brock watched as they landed on the Ursaring's back. He then saw a familiar red and black hat. "Wait, is that Ash!?"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu ran towards the creature in hopes of finding Ash there with Piplup close behind.

Dawn gasped. "Where?"

"There." Brock moved the light over to where the hat was, except now he could something orange as well.

"Wait." Dawn stepped aside from Brock. "That doesn't look like Ash. He doesn't wear orange..."

Pikachu and Piplup approached the hat and looked to see who or what was behind it. To their surprise, it was a Teddiursa. "Pika Pika...?" Pikachu tilted his head in confusion.

Brock and Dawn walked over cautiously. As the light grew closer Pikachu could see the dark colored hair of his trainer. "Pikapi!"

"There's Ash!" Brock said.

"And... Paul?!" Dawn pointed to the figure next to him. "Ash is wearing Paul's jacket...!" She looked to Paul who was wearing a white T-shirt that looked almost entirely drenched with sweat and a green long sleeves shirt tied around his waist.

Brock gave Dawn the flashlight as he walked around the Ursaring to examine Ash and Paul.

"Are they both alright?" Dawn asked in a worried tone.

"Pika..." Pikachu nudged his trainer's cheek. "Pi pikachu...?"

"They're both unconscious, and both have fevers." Brock looked at the back of Ash's hand and then rolled up the jacket sleeves. "Ash somehow has scars on his wrists..." He then looked over at Paul's bloodstained pant leg. "...Paul's ankle has similar scars, but it may be broken."

"I don't understand, what could they have gotten int- !" Dawn froze as the Ursaring's head rose. She had woken up and was a little dazed.

Brock stayed still as well. He didn't want the Ursaring to think that they were going to attack it. "Don't move.."

Dawn nodded. Pikachu and Piplup backed away slowly and stood in front of Dawn. Brock backed away from it as well. Ursaring stood, carefully allowing her daughter and the two boys slide to the ground. She looked to Dawn, who flinched inwardly, and then to Brock, who let his hands fall to his sides quickly after them being in the air for some time. Piplup walked over to Ursaring and sat down to talk to her for a brief moment. Piplup then signaled for Pikachu and they all nodded after sharing some information.

Dawn and Brock exchange the same questionable looks. 'What are they saying...,' they thought.

"Pika Pika...!" Pikachu waved to them.

"I guess it's safe to go over there..." They walked over to Ursaring and introduced themselves. They both told her about what happened, but of course Pikachu and Piplup had to translate some of it.

When they finished telling their story Brock went over to finish his examination of Ash and Paul. Ursaring took care of Teddiursa, who was still unconscious but had no injuries, Brock confirmed that. Dawn held Piplup, and Pikachu rested on her left shoulder.

"How are we going to find our way back, Brock?" She asked.

Brock stopped the blood flow from Paul's leg by tying a bandage in a tight knot just below his knee. He then turned to her, "I don't know, actually... Ursaring would you be willing to help carry Ash and Paul back to our camp...?"

Ursaring gave a light growl and nodded. She would be happy to help, she had been helping the two boys all night. And, both of them watching Teddiursa allowed her to catch up on her sleep. Ursaring knelt down. Brock and Dawn moved Ash and Paul closer to her, then picked them up and carefully laid them across her back. Ash and Paul winced at the sudden movement, but they would receive treatment soon.

"Pip-lup..!" Piplup retrieved the flashlight and held it for everyone to see.

"Thanks, Piplup." Dawn smiled and gave the little blue pokemon a pat on the head.

Pikachu lightly nudged Teddiursa with his nose. "Pi-ka pi-ka..." She twitched her ear and curled up into a ball. "Chuu...?"

"I'll carry Teddiursa." Brock said as he walked over to the two. He scooped her up carefully and allowed Pikachu to jump on his shoulder.

Ursaring began to walk forward, but stopped in front of the path of which Brock and Dawn had came. She looked back at them and signaled for them follow.

Piplup jumped into Dawn's arms once again and held the flashlight down at an angle so he wouldn't blind Ursaring. "Do you think she knows where to go?" Dawn asked as she walked close alongside Brock.

"I believe so, but if we have to, we'll be able remember where to go." Brock turned to her. "And, we started a campfire. Ursaring may follow that scent to get us back."

"I hope so." She sighed, it was very late and the sky was so..., she gulped, 'Dark.' Even if she had a light, it would still be pitch black behind them '...and in front of them, and around the trees, and in caves, and-!' Dawn's arms tightened a little around Piplup bringing him up slightly closer to the center of her chest. Even if she had Brock here, and Ursaring, she was still so afraid. 'Why?', she asked herself. She could only imagine how stupid she must look to be afraid of something and not know why. Her blood ran cold and a tear escaped her eye.

"Pip...?" Piplup turned around to face her. He felt her arms move from her shaking shoulders. A tear fell from her cheek and hit his face. Piplup learned of Dawn's fear of the dark at the beginning of their journey. Piplup looked to Pikachu, who then gave Brock a pat on the shoulder.

"hm..?" Brock noticed Pikachu's tap and watched as he signaled towards Dawn. Brock face went immediately from confusion to concern. Brock sighed and walked up to Ursaring and carefully placed Teddiursa between Ash and Paul.

Pikachu crawled down Brock's arm and sat down beside her. He watched silently as Brock walked back over to Dawn. Brock gently moved her arms apart and took Piplup from her and placed him on his shoulders, then wiped a tear from her eye. "What's the matter Dawn...?"

"Nothing,..." She lied. "I-I'm alright..."

Brock laid a hand on her shoulder. "Please, Dawn. I know that there's something bothering you."

Dawn shut her eyes tight and turned her head so she wouldn't face him.

"Dawn..." Brock's hand was still on her cheek as he slowly move her head to face him again. "It's better talk about things, rather than keeping them to yourself."

"I-I've told, I'm fine...," Her eyes were still closed.

"Then, why are you so upset?" He asked, wiping away another tear with his thumb. "You don't seem like the type to cry over little things."

"You're right, I'm not..." Dawn held his wrists. "I don't know what to do."

"About what?"

"Th-There's something out in the darkness that haunts me..." She said coming to a halt, causing Brock to stop as well.

"What do mean...?"

There was a long pause before Dawn sighed. "N-nevermind..." Dawn wiped her eyes and put on her best smile. "See, hehe, no need to worry."

"Uh..." Brock simply stared at her.

"Hey, you two dating or something...?" Brock and Dawn both blushed. They were surprised and looked up to find that it was Paul who had asked. He was sitting upright on Ursaring's back, cradling Teddiursa. Brock wondered how long he had been there, but instead of asking him he simply walked forward to match Ursaring's pace. Dawn had remained where she was, walking with only a few feet between them. "So, Paul, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"Don't try to play it off like it was nothing." Paul said. "I saw that entire scene you and Dawn made over there. What's her deal anyway? Is she afraid of the dark, like some bratty little kid?"

Dawn cowered slightly, taking offense from his tone. Brock gave a him a certain look that informed Paul that if he continued his rude comments he would regret saying those things. Paul cleared his throat, "...I'm fine." he said, answering Brock's question. "...thanks."

Brock examined Paul, looking for anything unusual and hoping that his condition hadn't worsened. Paul was very pale, probably due to the loss of blood through his ankle. He still had a fever, which was apparent on his flushed cheeks. Also, Paul looked very tired, Brock told him that he should resting.

Paul scoffed, "I think...I'll be just.. fine." He then yawned, he WAS very tired but he couldn't let Brock know right after what he just said.

Dawn was a little worried about Paul. They both knew he felt way worse than how he was acting, but why? Why go through all that trouble? Dawn shook her head, pitying him, even though he probably didn't deserve it.

"Right,..." Brock didn't understand either why Paul wasted his energy on trying to act tough and rude to just about everyone.

Paul opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Teddiursa who rolled over, whining as if she were having a bad dream. He gently stroked her fur to give her a sign that everything would be alright. She snuggled closer to his chest and continued to sleep peacefully earning a small smile from Paul. Dawn smiled as well, she had never seen Paul smile before, well, not a genuine smile as sweet and kind as the one seen on his face then. But, it came as soon as it went. How come he's always so mean to all of his pokemon, but can be nice to a pokemon he probably doesn't even know all too well? It just doesn't make sense.

"..." Paul looked up to find that both Brock both Dawn were staring at him curiously. "What?" He asked, returning to his normal rude tone.

"Nothing,... but you should probably rest." Brock said. "We might not reach the campsite as soon as we want."

"Sure..." Paul said calmly.

"Good." Brock took Teddiursa from him. Paul then leaned back into the position he woke up in and went straight to sleep.

Dawn sighed at looked to the stars. "I hope we get there soon..."

 **I didn't think anyone was reading this to be honest, but here's another chapter for those of you who wanted me to update. Sorry if some sentences don't make sense in previous chapters. I tend to type fast and fail to some catch errors while looking over the story. Expect more soon, maybe 2 more chapters. I might end this fanfic at number 12.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **Hey look, a new chapter!**

 **Sorry for the wait, like probably half-a-year wait, but here it is. Finally! I tend not to write when I have a creative block or it affects the flow of the story, which explains why this one took so long. Although, I wrote other fanfics and you may try to argue that I didn't have a block on those, I had a major block concerning which direction I wanted this specific story to go in. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Also, shout out to** **RennyBanette** **for favoriting/following this story. You've helped me regain my inspiration and motivation for writing more chapters!**

 **I still** **DO NOT** **and will never own Pokemon.**

Ursaring, Teddiursa, Brock, Dawn, Ash, Paul, Pikachu and Piplup, finally all together now, walk the path to hopefully find their way back to camp.

Dawn sighed heavily, "How long have we been walking?"

"Not too long, Dawn." Brock told her. "I'm not entirely sure, but maybe around 30 minutes?"

"That must mean it's at least twelve or one thirty..." She allowed her shoulders to droop.

"Piplup..." Piplup wanted her to cheer up. He didn't like to see Dawn sad.

Brock lifted Piplup from his shoulders, only with one hand because he was still holding Teddiursa, and handed him to Dawn. "Nothing like the comfort of a Pokemon, right?"

"Piplup pip!" He jumped into her arms and hugged her tight.

"Aww~." She pulled him closer. "Thanks, Piplup. Thank you, too, Brock."

"Mhm." He smiled.

Ursaring stopped briefly to sniff the air then continued down a path leading to the right. When they reached the end there was a fence that read "No Trespassing" with footsteps leading behind it.

Dawn looked around. "Now where do we go?"

Ursaring sniffed the ground and began walking to the left. She had found Paul's scent and followed it until they met a small campsite at which they found Paul's bag, tent, and pokeballs.

Pikachu jumped down and began to look around. "Pi-ka pika..." There was a fire that looked like it had been burning for quite some time. "Chu?"

"This has to be Paul's camp... I haven't seen any other trainers around." Brock picked up Paul's backpack. "Let's take his stuff with us."

"Okay, I'll get the tent." Dawn let Piplup down from her arms and proceeded to take down it down. "Wow, this is really nice! And cute, too."

"How can a tent be cute...?" Brock asked, packing up the pokeballs. "It looks just like any other tent to me."

"It's so small, though. That's what makes it so cute~" Dawn then sighed. "But, I have to take it down now."

"We'll put it back up later, Dawn." Brock walked over to her. "Paul has to have somewhere to sleep when we get back to our camp."

"Mhm," She nodded. "I think he'll appreciate it." Dawn started off by taking a peg out of the ground. She thought it was strange since tents usually have multiple pegs to hammer into the ground. She gave it a light tug, but the rope attached to it retracted back and, in one swift motion, the tent folded itself into a cube a slightly smaller than Pikachu and Piplup. "Wow, that didn't take long at all."

"Maybe we should get one?" Brock chuckled. "Now, let's get going!" He said, as Pikachu got back into its original position on his head.

"Piplup, could you put out the fire please?" Dawn asked.

"Lup!" Piplup nodded, saluting to her. He then turned around and attacked the fire with a very weak bubble beam until it died down.

"Thanks Piplup." Dawn smiled.

"Come on you two!" Brock said, as he began walking. "We don't want to keep Ash and Paul out here for too long."

Piplup ran after him. Dawn had also begun to walk, but stopped. Her foot hit something and she looked around to figure out what it it was. Her eyes fell upon a small toy that looked, to her, like some kind of teddy bear. "Oh, what's this doing here?" She asked herself. Dawn picked up the bear and maneuvered her arm to flip it over. In the dim patch of moonlight that glew through the trees she strained her eyes to see the tag. The faded letters read "PAUL" in pink, or maybe magenta? Dawn also notice a strange code on the other side that read "TDRSA DOLL." "Hmm..," she said, "but what does it mean?"

"Come on, Dawn!" Brock called quietly. "Let's get going!"

"Oh-coming!" She hurried to catch up with the rest of the group, hiding the doll behind the tent she held.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

"Nothing," She stopped in front of Brock, " I was just making sure I didn't forget anything." Dawn looked up at him, "Let's go."

And, with that, they began to walk back to camp.

Dawn, Brock, and Ursaring past by a few more traps in the forest on the way. "We have to report these things to officer Jenny as soon as we reach Hearthrome City." She frowned. "Pokemon poaching is just awful..."

"We will, and I'll make sure of it!" Brock exclaimed in serious but determined tone. Dawn suddenly gasped excitedly. "Woah, what's the matter!?"

"Look," she pointed ahead, nearly dropping the tent in her hands, "it's our camp!" She rushed to greet the worried pokemon they had left hours ago, accepting their hugs and snuggles. They were all happy to see that Ash had returned safely, and also surprised that Paul, an Ursaring, and a Teddiursa had come too. "It's a long story, I haven't even heard all of it yet."

Brock was greeted as well. Pikachu jumped down from his head and wave with a cheerful "Pi-kaaa!." The pokemon were all curious about the Teddiursa Brock held. "She's alright. She's just resting you guys." The pokemon all made sounds of understanding and began to help set up a place to take care of Ash and Paul.

First, they needed a place to rest. Buizel and Pachirisu laid out sleeping bags, but only one because they only found Ash's. "Where's Paul's sleeping bag?" Dawn asked them. "I wonder if it was left behind..." The two pokemon shrugged. They wouldn't know. They weren't there.

"Brock?" She turned around.

"Yeah, Dawn?" Brock looked up from his bag. He had let Teddiursa rest on his sleeping bag while he looked for something to cook. They hadn't had anything to eat at all since they had to leave to look for Ash. "Do you need help with something?" He asked, noticing the confused expression on her face.

She let her eyes scan the campsite. "Did Paul have a sleeping bag...?"

"...uh" Brock stopped rummaging to think. "I actually don't know... Did you see one at his campsite?"

"No."

"What about when you stopped to pick something up...?" He stood up. "What was that?"

"Nothing..." Dawn thought about the bear doll she saw. "Well, at first I thought it was something, but it turned out to be nothing."

"Oh." Brock shrugged and then continued to go through his backpack. "Wait..." He stopped. "Did you check his bag?"

"Oh yeah," her fist hit her palm, "that's right!" Dawn walked over to Paul's bag which Brock had placed Paul beside him on Ursaring's back. "Here it i-!"

Brock ran over and covered her mouth. "SSSHhh-! You might wake them up." Ash's hands twitched slightly, but he remained asleep and snored softly like Paul. Dawn and Brock released a sigh of relief. It would be difficult to get them back to sleep if they had woken up.

"Sorry." She whispered. "I'm going to finish setting up." Brock gave her a short nod saying 'okay' and walked back to continue to search his bag for food. Dawn neatly placed the sleeping bag next to Ash's and then set up Paul's tent. "There." She sighed, satisfied with her work. "Finished."

Piplup loved the tent. "Pip..." He walked around it, gazing in admiration with eyes full of wonder. "Pip-piplup!"

"Its pretty neat, huh?" Dawn smiled. "Isn't it cute?"

"Pip!" He agreed. "Pip-pip piplup!" Piplup wanted to play in it and ran toward the entrance.

"Oh-!" Dawn started, catching him before Piplup went inside. "Sorry Piplup, but this is Paul's tent, not ours."

"Pip..." He whined, wanting to go inside. He just wanted to have a look around.

"How about you play in mine?"

Piplup nodded. "Pip pip." Dawn put him down and watched as he scampered off to play in her bright orange tent. A few other pokemon followed to join him.

"Found one!" Brock said to himself. Dawn turned around to face him. "Look." He held up a can of soup. "I knew I had one!"

Dawn laughed. "Why did it take so long to find it?"

"Well,... I was saving it for myself..." , he mumbled, "and... I lost it..." Dawn burst into more laughter, then struggled to contain herself as she apologized when he began to walk off to start cooking.

"I'll lead Ursaring to the sleeping bags." Dawn said, sighing away the laughter and wiping a tear from her eye. She walked over to Ursaring to find that both boys were still as she left them. Ash made an attempt to roll over, but instead lifted his arm. His arm landed on Paul's chest and Paul simply frowned and pushed it away. He soon got comfortable again, letting his hand twitch. "Aww~!" Dawn exclaimed softly. "They're so tired. Okay, Ursaring, can you follow me to the sleeping bags?"

Ursaring stood up slowly, being very careful not to let the boys fall off. "Ring." She gave Dawn a short nod and they walked closer to the place that Dawn had set up for them. When they had gotten close enough, Dawn said "Here's just fine," and they stopped.

Brock walked over after a few minutes thinking that they might have been waiting on him. "Sorry, I was tweaking the recipe a bit. I'll carry them to the sleeping bags. Could you go ahead and open them for me, Dawn?" Brock picked up Ash first and carried him over, while Dawn opened his sleeping bag. "Thanks Dawn." Brock put him down gently and took Paul's jacket off of him.

"You're welcome." Dawn threw the remaining half of sleeping bag over him and zipped it up partially. "There. Now for Paul."

"Yup." Brock gave Dawn the jacket and walked back to Ursaring to get him. Brock lifted Paul as carefully as he lifted Ash, if not, he was being even more careful; but, being even more careful wasn't careful enough. Paul had awoken to being carried bridal-style by Brock. Brock kept walking, "Hey there." He said looking down at a now wide awake Paul.

"What are you doing?" Paul blushed, he didn't like to be carried, and made an attempt to push away from him, "I can walk by myself!"

"Clearly." Brock said, making a gesture to his injured foot. He was unaffected by Paul's pushing.

Paul became angry at his remark. "Just put me down..." He said, folding his arms.

Brock scoffed, "Not until I reach your sleeping bag."

Paul sighed angrily, but then all of a sudden looked surprised. "My sleeping bag...?" He said to himself. Paul became angry once again. "You went into my bag!?"

"Well, you had to sleep somewhere." Brock shrugged.

"What's the problem?" Dawn looked up at them, she had just finished opening Paul's sleeping bag then stood up. "Are you alright?"

"No." Paul started. "Now stop touching my stuff y-!"

"He'll be fine." Brock cut in. He then place Paul down on his sleeping bag, laying a towel under his ankle so blood wouldn't seep into it. "There, you're down now." Paul rolled his eyes, his arms were still folded. "Now that we're at our campsite, I need to give you proper first-aid."

Paul glared at him in a hateful way. "..."

"No need to look like that." Brock laughed nervously, then smiled. "It'll be quick and easy, okay?"

"...?" Paul remained the same. He then turned to Ash and stared for a few moments before looking back. "Take care of him first."

Brock looked over at Ash and watched as his chest rose and fell with his labored breathing. Dawn also watched, Ash seemed to be sweating quite a lot due to his fever. Brock moved to the middle space between the sleeping bags and felt Ash's forehead. "Hmm... Ash's fever is very high... Dawn, can you get a wet cloth for Ash?"

"Sure thing!" Dawn ran over to her bag to get a cloth and asked Buizel to use water gun on it. Buizel made sure to weaken the water gun so it wouldn't hurt her. "Thanks Buizel." Dawn gave him a pat on the head.

"Bui Bui!" Buizel said, nuzzling her.

"Here it is Brock." Dawn went back to them, then knelt down and placed the cloth on Ash's forehead. "Do you have any kind of medicine to bring down his fever a little faster?"

Brock shook his head. "I checked already." he sighed. "Right now all I have is pokemon medicine."

"Well,... D-do you think he'll be okay?" Dawn turned to Ash. "I mean, he will be,... won't he?"

Brock laid a hand on her shoulder."He'll be just fine. This is Ash we're talking about. I'm sure a cold won't defeat the world's greatest pokemon master." He laughed.

"I guess you're right..." Dawn smiled. "I'll watch over him, though. Just to be sure."

"Okay, Dawn." Brock removed his hand. "Just to be sure."

She saluted him. "No need to worry!" Brock saluted back, then turned back to Paul. He looked completely disgusted.

"What...?" Brock asked, looking him over.

Paul scoffed and folded his arms."You two make me sick..."

"Oh...umm?" Brock looked to Dawn who shrugged, obviously just as confused as him about Paul's comment. He sighed, then faced Paul. "Well, will you let me take care of your injury now...?"

"...?" Paul only glared at him. It wasn't an evil, vicious glare, but it wasn't too kind either. Brock gave him a nervous smile. "Fine, whatever... Be careful."

"I will." Brock moved closer to Paul's injured foot and gently rolled up his pant leg. It had been soaked with blood. He saw Paul grimace at the sight through the corner of his eye. "The cut must be pretty deep to have bled that much..." he said quietly to himself. "Is it still very painful?" Brock asked, examining the cut. It had turned a shade of dark purple along the edges.

"Yeah..." Paul hesitated to look back after about a minute, but found that Brock hadn't even moved. 'What could he be looking at?' he thought, then began to panic a little.

Brock noticed that Paul had gone rigid and saw the worried look on his face. "Paul...?"

"...!" He was startled and brought from his train of thought.

"Heh,..." Brock laughed, "Sorry,... I was just checking to see what I'm up against." Paul let out a sigh of relief. "Did I really scare you?"

"...no" Paul lied. He voice shook a little as he spoke, almost as if he were shivering.

Brock stood. "Well, then. Let's start off by cleaning the wound, okay?" Paul nodded hesitantly, not sure if he was ready to endure the pain that would come of it. "Alright, I'll go get my first-aid kit." Brock walked across the camp to his bag leaving Dawn and Paul in awkward silence.

Paul closed his eyes and sighed, patiently waiting for him to come back.

Dawn leaned forward a little to see his face. "...Paul?"

"Hm?" he muttered, frowning.

She moved closer to him. "A-...are you alright?"

Paul became very annoyed with that question and clenched his fists. 'Why does everyone ask HIM that?' He thought. "Why do you ask?" He spoke in a threatening tone.

"N-no reason." Dawn cowered inwardly. "It's just..."

"It's just what?" He opened his eyes and gave her a cold stare.

"Um,..well." She looked away from him, avoiding his eyes. "It's just... Your silence is sometimes concerning. You could really scare someone like that, you know?"

Paul didn't understand how his silence could scare anyone. It never seemed to bother Reggie. But, he grew up with him and he probably learned to read Paul's actions. Now that he thought about it, Reggie could probably tell how Paul felt just by looking into his eyes, even with his normal cold expression. He also thought back to when Brock examined his ankle moments ago. Paul panicked when Brock hadn't said anything after what felt like forever. "..."

Dawn looked up to find that he was now looking down. She couldn't help but be concerned, but she didn't want to bother him. "...um."

"Sorry..." Paul sighed. "To worry you wasn't my intention."

Dawn was surprised. 'Did he just apologize?' she asked herself, not able to believe what she just heard. "Uh, i-it's fine."

Brock returned with the kit. "Are you both getting along?" He joked.

Paul just glared up at him wearily. "...?" He clearly didn't care much for his remark.

"..." Dawn looked up too, also ignoring Brock's question. She was still shocked that Paul had apologized.

"Haha, I guess so." Brock laughed. He then sat down in between them to tend to Paul, who went from pale to as white as a sheet when he saw Brock ready a cotton ball with alcohol. "Sorry, but I don't have any hydrogen peroxide, so I hope this is okay?"

"..." Paul stared at him, his eyes wide and horrified. Why alcohol? Why now? Paul kept thinking about how painful it would be once the alcohol touches his ankle wounds, and if he might make himself look like total idiot if front of Ash's friends. He trembled nervously.

"Um, Paul..?" Dawn waved her hand to get his attention. He noticed her and their eyes met for a brief moment before she became aware of the fear he felt. "Hang on a sec..." Dawn stood, "Brock, I think your soup may be burning-"

"What!?" Brock dropped the cotton ball and ran to the campfire where the soup cooked.

Dawn quickly ran to her tent, grabbed something, then knelt back down beside Paul. He asked what she was doing, but she shushed him. She sat back down and revealed the small bear doll that she found at Paul's campsite. Now that she could actually see it, Dawn understood that TDRSA meant Teddiursa. "Here. Is this yours?" She held it out for him to take.

Paul looked down at it, wondering how and where she got it. He never recalled having it with him. "Wh-... Where did you get this...?" He asked, gently taking it from her hands.

"I found it at your campsite on the ground." Dawn pointed to the doll's tag. "It has your name on it."

"I know..." Paul frowned at it, "but it shouldn't be here." He recalled leaving the toy at home, well throwing it angrily at Reggie before leaving on his journey. 'Has it been with me the whole time?'

 **Well? Whataya' think?**

 **Is it good?**

 **Again, sorry this took song long. I've revised and made edits to earlier chapters, because of grammar or spelling errors for those who want to re-read this.**

 **Please review, and let me know if you find any errors.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **Last chapter guys, and the end of a somewhat successful story. I think I'll miss writing this... NOT.**

 **Enjoy. I** **DO NOT** **own Pokemon.**

"Reggie-... Reggie-!" A young Paul tugged at the said boy's pant leg. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Making something." Reggie replied, not once looking away from his work.

"Can I see?" Paul tried to look over the table to see, but failed. Being just a toddler at the time, he was too short. "I wanna see-!"

"Just a sec, I'm almost done." Reggie ruffled his hair, then continued. "You're gonna love this, Paul."

"What is it-What is it?" Paul jumped anxiously. "Can I see it now?"

"One-... last thing." He made the final stitch, then tied it closed. "Done!" Reggie turned around to face him, his feet barely able touch the floor from the chair he sat in. "You ready?"

"Mhm!" Paul gave him a firm nod.

Reggie hid it behind his back. "Okay. Close your eyes and hold your hands."

Young Paul was skeptical of this. "Is it scary, Reggie?" He backed away a bit.

"Haha, no silly." Reggie promised, taking his hand and bringing him closer. "Just do it, please?"

"Okay..." Paul did what he was told, holding out his hands. Only a brief moment passed before he felt something soft and fuzzy rest in them.

"Alright, you can open them now." Reggie watched as his little brother opened one eye, then the other. Paul gasped and hugged it tight. Reggie had given him a stuffed animal. "Hah, I knew you'd love it."

Paul held it up, smiling brightly. "What is it?"

"It's a Teddiursa." Reggie said. "Mommy taught me how to make it."

"Ted-dur-kia...?" Paul asked.

"No, a Ted-di-ur-sa." He explained. "She says it's a bear pokemon."

"Hehe!" Paul giggled and spun the doll around. "I've got a Teddi doll~ I've got a Teddi doll~" He chimed.

Reggie knelt down, resting a hand on Paul's shoulder. "Promise me you'll good take care of it, okay?"

Paul rushed to hug him, nearly knocking him over. "I promise! Thank you Reggie!"

Reggie sat up. "Heh, you're welcome, Lil' Bro."

 _Years later..._

Paul had been reading while lying in bed, Teddi doll in hand. He found that instead of paying attention to words on page he had been reminiscing on the day he had received the thing. Shortly after turning the page, a strange sound came from overhead. "What's that?" He stood, placing down his book and doll.

"Paul, it's here! The Battle Pyramid's in town!" Reggie called to him. Paul rushed downstairs and over to the kitchen window where his brother was. The two watched as it flew over. It cast an enormous shadow over their home. "Isn't it great?"

"Yeah, are you going to challenge it today?" Paul asked, eager to know.

"Yup!" Reggie told him. He ran to get his pokeballs and bag, then ran to the door. "And, I'm gonna win."

Paul tried catch him. "Wait- Can I go too?"

"Sure," Reggie replied. He walked back, realizing he forgot his shoes. "You can watch me win and bring home another reward for the collection." He made a gesture towards all the badges and pins he received from leagues he had beaten.

"Do you ever think I'll have as many as you, Reggie?" Paul looked them over. He already traveled through Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn; but catching up to Reggie was a challenge. "I mean, I know I'm just starting out here, but-"

"Paul," Reggie gave him a thumbs up. "I know you will, Lil' Bro. Don't doubt yourself, okay?" Paul nodded back in understanding. Reggie then opened the door. "Let's get going. I wanna be first in line."

"Yeah!" Paul ran outside. "Race ya!"

"You're gonna lose!" Reggie quickly locked the door, then ran after him. He and Paul laughed as they playfully fought for first place. Little did Paul know he was about witness a crushing defeat. Reggie was really the one who would lose.

The battle Paul had seen that day made him realized something. It made him see that Reggie was weak. Paul believed Reggie could do anything, was he lied to all this time? Or, was he a fool to believe it? He witnessed it first-hand and it made him sick. Sick to even think that he had been related to someone he now saw as pathetic. Paul took off running, his partner Turtwig close behind. Turtwig was called out to watch the battle that took place, also witnessing Reggie's defeat.

"Paul-wait!" Reggie ran after him, thanking the Frontier Brain for a good battle. He ran home and went upstairs to Paul's room. He found him angrily packing a bag on the floor. "What are you doing?"

Paul refused to face him. "I thought you were strong... I thought you could do anything." He stuffed in some pokeballs.

Reggie simply stood there, confused. "Huh? Paul, what are you talking about?"

Paul clenched his fists. "Reggie how could you lose to him!? You're the strongest trainer I know!" He shouted, causing Turtwig, who was seated directly across from him, to shrink back. The poor thing had never seen Paul so infuriated.

"Hey, calm down!" Reggie took a step towards him. "I can challenge it again! I-... I don't think I want to, though..."

Paul stood. "So you're just giving up!?" Turtwig had to move back to avoid being stepped on.

"No, I'm not giving up." Reggie sighed. "I think that I should just-... try something different. I was thinking of becoming a breeder."

"YOU'RE RUNNING AWAY!" Paul shoved his brother hard causing him to stumble back and catch himself on the door frame. "Come on, Turtwig. Let's go." Turtwig nodded reluctantly, not wanting to get yelled at himself.

"Paul- What the-!?" Reggie held his stomach. There was a lot of force behind that shove. "Why are you so upset!?" Paul didn't say anything and picked up his bag. "Paul-!?" Reggie waited for an answer, but received nothing. Paul grabbed Teddi and headed for the stairs, once again pushing Reggie out of the way. This time he grabbed Paul's arm.

"Let go of me." Paul spoke in a threatening tone.

"No!" Reggie spun him around. "What did I ever do to you!?"

"I said LET GO!" Paul punched him and made an attempt to run away, but was stopped again when Reggie caught his bag.

Turtwig sat back and watched, trembling in fear. He was now afraid of what would happen next. The situation seemed to escalate quickly and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Answer me!" Reggie pulled him back.

Paul dropped the bag and wriggled out of his hold. He ran downstairs, grabbing his jacket. Reggie followed close behind. "STOP FOLLOWING ME!" Paul shouted.

"TELL ME WHAT I DID WRONG!" Reggie shouted back.

There was dramatic pause before Paul threw Teddi at him saying, "You failed me!" Then ran outside. Turtwig called out to Paul and nearly fell as he rushed downstairs, underneath Reggie, and out the door.

Reggie found it hard to take in that statement, but wasted no time stuffing Teddi into the bag and running through the front door. "You forgot something!" Reggie threw it as far as he could across the yard. This was the direction he assumed Paul went in, then he grunted in pain as he went back inside muttering. "...jeez, that punch really hurt..."

Paul hadn't gone far. He hid behind some bushes in the yard. He knew Reggie threw his bag near him, but didn't reach for it. Paul listened as his brother walked back into the house; it sounded like he was in pain. Turtwig wandered around the yard until he eventually found him huddled behind the shrubbery, then climbed into his trainer's arms. Paul sniffled, "...I-I didn't mean to hurt him." Then wiped away the few tears that ran down his cheeks. Him and Reggie hardly fought, and when they did it was nowhere near what just went down.

Paul held Turtwig close, breathing deeply. The two sat in silence for quite some time, up until it began to rain. Paul finally decided it was time to leave, but he wasn't going home. He went to pick up the bag he now found covered with wet dirt and put it on his back. Paul glanced back one last time, spotting Reggie's shadow in the downstairs window. Turtwig also looked back, wondering what was going on. "I'll become stronger than you." Paul said, taking one last look then turning around. "Just you wait." He then headed for the nearest Pokemon center. He now had a mission, to surpass Reggie and defeat the Frontier Brain that shamed him. "Let's go, Turtwig."

* * *

Paul took in a deep breath and released a long, shaky sigh. Dawn watched as he placed the doll down in front of him. It stood well considering the fact that it had no feet. She thought it was rather cute, but soon noticed that Paul seemed to be quite upset looking at it; even slightly hurt. "Sorry, if I did something wrong." Dawn apologized, looking down. "I-I thought it would make you feel better..."

Paul ignored her, "It's covered in dirt..." He changed the subject, not wanting to discuss his emotions.

"Well, it wouldn't take long to dust off." Dawn was annoyed that she had been ignored, but kept it to herself and offered her help. "I can clean it off for you if you want m-"

"No, thanks." Paul folded his arms.

"What's wrong now?" Dawn said, addressing his change in tone.

Paul sighed heavily. "Nothing... Just that the last time I held Teddi was when I was really upset-" Paul looked surprised for a moment, his eyes glassy. Teddi, a name he hadn't said in a while. He then frowned. "...nevermind."

'Did he just call it Teddi?' Dawn heard the name and made a connection. Teddi was the doll's name. "Oh, well... Do you mind if I ask why?"

Paul glared at her, "I'd rather not ta-"

"Hey, Dawn, the soup wasn't burning at all." Brock walked up from behind. "You probably just smelled the campfire..." Paul and Dawn looked up at him and he looked from one to the other, then noticed Teddi on Paul's sleeping bag. "Does that belong to you?" Brock asked, eyeing Paul.

"Yeah, and...?" Paul said, returning the look; his being threatening of course. Well, it would have been if a tear hadn't ran down his face.

"H-hey, nothing." Brock held up his hands defensively in a panicked frenzy. "It's nice, really!" Paul gave him a strange look before noticing the fallen tear and quickly wiped it away. "Sorry, I-"

"Nevermind it..." Paul said quietly.

Brock sighed, realizing that the bear needed no further discussion then took a seat next to Dawn. "Well then, let's get this over with." He readied a second cotton ball. "You ready?"

Paul really wasn't, but he knew that the sooner it was done, the better. "Yeah." Paul nodded. Brock gave a final nod in return then moved in closer to begin, but stopped when Dawn suddenly threw her arms around Paul. He froze, blushing lightly. "Uh? What are you doing?"

"Shh!" She hushed. "Bite down on my scarf if the pain is too much."

 _Pain._ "Huh-!?" Something he didn't want to hear right then, but he soon felt it when the cold liquid touched his wound. Paul suddenly found himself holding Dawn tightly, biting down hard into her pink scarf. It tasted awful and did nothing to stop the sick feeling that came over him. After muttering a few muffled cries of pain, Paul began to feel light headed and, before he knew it, he was out cold.

* * *

Dawn and Brock enjoyed soup by the fire shortly after finishing up Paul's ankle and Ash's wrists. Their wounds were now clean and neatly bandaged. They had been very tired, and wondered what had happened to the first batch of soup Brock made.

Dawn believed the pokemon ate it, explaining her theory. Brock confirmed this when he asked them.

"The pokemon must've been really hungry if they ate all of it." Brock recalled the pot being spotless when they returned. "I'm surprised they didn't make a mess."

"Me, too." Dawn smiled. "They were probably tired of waiting."

"Well, at least they enjoyed it." Brock said.

"Of course they liked it. Your cooking is the best!"

"Thanks, Dawn. I'm glad you feel that way." Brock continued to watch the soup as well as the boys with Dawn's help. Both looked much better than before they arrived.

* * *

"Mn..." Ash shifted a little to get more comfortable. He took a moment to acknowledge the cool sensation on his forehead, smiling at how nice it felt and wondered where he had been. 'Wait.' he frowned. 'We were falling...' Ash sat up quickly, placing a hand on his chest. He then sighed, relieved to feel a beating heart. A cloth he hadn't noticed before fell in his lap and onto his sleeping bag. Ash held it for a while, lightly squeezing it. "When did I get here?"

"Not too long..." Someone said behind him. Ash looked back to find Brock walking towards him. "About an hour ago maybe? Nice to see that you're awake." He gave Ash a bowl of soup and bottled water, then took a seat on the ground next to him.

"Thanks, I'm starved!" Ash took it and began to eat, flinching slightly at the pain in his wrists. "So, what happened?" He asked, taking a sip from his bottle.

"You tell me," Brock shrugged. "You're the one who's been out all night."

"No, I mean, what happened to you?" Ash pointed to the bandages on Brock's arm and face. "You look like a Dusclops."

"Same to you." He laughed, make a gesture to Ash's wrists. Brock had bandaged them not too long after he finished with Paul.

"Oh?" Ash hadn't notice those before either, but Brock had done it. He flipped them over for a better look, then continued to eat. "Heh, I guess so."

"You had a lot of smalls cuts. And, well, I slid down a hill with sharp rocks, but-"

"You slid down a hill!?" Ash sputtered, nearly choking on his soup. "H-how steep was it?"

"Well, it led to a ravine, so it was pretty steep." Brock lifted his shirt. "See? I've even got cuts on my back."

"Are you alright?"

"I think I should be asking you that question, Ash." Brock replied, now adjusting his shirt. He noticed that Ash finished his soup and took the bowl from him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than before, believe me." Ash sighed, relieved to say those words himself.

"Good to hear." Brock smiled. "Keep drinking that water, though. You may be dehydrated."

"Alright..." Ash took another sip. "Hey, where's Dawn?"

"Oh, she went to bed. I told her that I could watch over the both you myself."

"Both...?" Ash didn't know what he meant by that. He soon recalled being with Paul before. "Where's Paul?" Brock made a gesture towards the right of him. Paul had been sleeping next to them curled in a fetal position, save for his injured foot. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, Paul's fine. His ankle is broken, though." Brock searched for any blood leaks in Paul's bandages. "I may need to call Reggie so he can rest at home."

Ash shook his head disapprovingly. "Paul might not like that idea, Brock. He'll get upset."

"I'd rather him be upset than walk around with that kind of injury." Brock said, leaving to put the bowl away.

"True..." Ash returned his gaze to Paul. He didn't notice that he held a doll that looked similar to a Teddiursa. "Wait a minute, where's Teddiursa...?" He asked, looking around. Not wanting to wake Paul, Ash decided to ask Brock when he came back.

"Oh, Teddiursa's fine. She's actually with Ursaring now." Brock pointed to where they slept on the other side of camp. He sat down between Ash and Paul.

"What are you doing?" Ash eyed him curiously.

"I think I should wake Paul so he can have something to eat."

"He still hasn't eaten anything?" Ash was genuinely surprised. Paul seemed to be really hungry back in the cave. "Really?"

"Yeah, really." Brock laughed. "You've only just eaten, haven't you?"

Ash folded his arms, he made a good point. "Yeah..."

Brock lightly shook Paul's arm, causing him to stir. "Paul, I need you to wake up."

Paul groaned softly. "Go away Reggie..."

"Haha, I'm afraid I'm not your brother, Paul." Brock shook him again.

"Huh?" Paul sat up and looked around. "What the-? Where am I?" He thought aloud.

"You're at our camp remember?" Brock said to him.

"Yeah, we were both injured and Brock and Dawn came to find us." Ash added, earning a small nod from Paul.

"You should have something to eat, okay?" Brock said.

"Mhm..." Paul yawned, then checked his watch. "...it's strange to...eat this late..." He looked pretty dazed, staring at them with tired eyes.

"That's true, but I been told you haven't eaten in awhile." He stood and began to walk back to the fire. "I'll be back in a second, alright?"

"Yea... alright." Paul said, shifting into a more comfortable position.

Ash told him that Brock made the soup and that it tasted great. He noticed that Paul didn't seem to pay much attention, though. Paul was simply staring at the doll he held in his hands. "Hey, Paul?"

"Hm?" Paul turned to look at him. Ash found that he was unusually calm in this sleepy state.

"Where'd that toy come from?"

Paul returned his tired gaze to it. "My brother gave it to me..."

"Really? That's cool." He leaned closer to have a better look. "It's pretty cute. Did he make it himself?"

He rubbed at his eyes. "Yea, ...did a long time ago."

"I think it still looks as good as new." Ash moved back into his previous position. "You've done a great job taking care of it."

"...think so?" Paul yawned. He blushed faintly from his praise.

"Mhm, I do." Ash saw one of Dawn's scarves lying next to Paul's sleeping bag. "Oh, and I think I have something that'll make it look even better." He held it up for Paul to see.

"A scarf...?" Paul glared at him sleepily. "I don't think it'll fit..."

"Maybe it will, you never know until you try?" Ash made an attempt to take the doll, but Paul moved it away. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Don't. Touch. Teddi." Paul's glare was now threatening.

"Okay okay, t-take it easy, Paul." Ash said, sensing a bit of anger. "How about you hold it while I tie the scarf?" Reluctant at first, Paul held Teddi out in front of him so Ash could tie it on. "There we go. See, doesn't it look nice?"

Paul turned it around to face him, feeling the scarf. It looked really big on Teddi, but Ash was right. It did make the doll look better. "...I guess."

"Well, I think it looks awesome!" Ash said, proudly folding his arms. "You simply have no taste."

"Or, maybe he's just tired, Ash?" Brock came up behind them once again, causing Ash to jump at the sound of his voice. He gave Paul the bowl of soup he brought over, then took a seat. "You kinda sound like Dawn."

"I do not."

"Do to." Brock laughed.

"Nu-uh."

Paul was beginning to become annoyed with their playful bickering, he didn't really see the point in it. Honestly, he didn't care to, either; it was too late and he was just too tired. So, there he sat, calmly eating his soup. After a few minutes, Ash asked something that he failed to notice and stopped eating after hearing Brock's fingers snap. "-!?"

"Hey, didn't you hear us?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, we said your name, like, 5 times." Ash held up five fingers up to clarify, more for himself than Paul.

Paul shook his head, "...no." Then continued to eat.

"Oh, well I asked if you think I act like Dawn?"

"I said he does sometimes, but doesn't realize it." Brock shot Ash a glare.

Paul lifted the bowl to his mouth to drink the remaining broth. He then sighed. "...dunno, you all act the same to me."

"What? No we don't-" Brock and Ash said in unison, even using the same hand gesture, but stopped we they noticed what happened. "Oh..."

"I guess we do act the same." Ash laughed.

"That's how you know you're a good friends..." Paul said, placing his bowl down beside him. He had finished his soup and figured that putting it there would let Brock know he was done without him saying anything. Ash and Brock stared at Paul long enough for him to notice. "...what?"

"Are you feeling alright?" Ash gave him a skeptical look. "You must be really tired if you're saying things like that."

"Either that, or you're feverish." Brock placed a hand on Paul forehead. To his surprise, it was a little warm.

"Uh..." Paul blushed slightly from how gently Brock's hand pushed back his bangs and pressed against him. It made him somewhat uncomfortable, but he didn't protest.

"Hmm. Your fever hasn't broken yet." Brock frowned.

Paul carefully removed his hand. "I assure you, I'm just fine."

Ash shrugged. "If you say so, Paul." He then yawned, "I think should go back to sleep."

"That sounds like a good idea." Brock smiled, picking up Paul's empty soup bowl. "You should probably rest some more, too. Tomorrow morning we'll go to the Pokemon Center for additional first-aid, if necessary." Brock gave Paul a pat on the back before standing to leave and walking away. "Goodnight you two."

Ash squirmed to get comfortable in his sleeping bag. "Goodnight."

Paul further zipped his sleeping bag, then turned on his side. "...goodnight." Just as Paul was about to close his eyes, Brock scooped him up from the ground. "Wha-What!?" He had been startled by the sudden action. "What are you doing?" Paul asked as Brock began to walk.

"I figured that you'd be more comfortable in your tent." Brock stopped in front of said thing and set Paul down in it. "Dawn set it up for you and it would be a waste if you didn't use it, don't you think?" Paul was still confused, but he was too tired to care. He didn't even have the strength to say anything and eventually gave into the heavy hold sleep had on him. Brock zipped the tent closed, then proceeded to do the same for Ash, carrying him to his tent. "I should probably rest now, too." Brock yawned, thinking aloud as he picked up his cooking utensils and put them away. "There's a lot to do tomorrow..."

* * *

Two hours of sleep. That was all Brock had before the sun shone onto his eyes. "Ugh..." He was exhausted, but knew it was important to get to Hearthome City as early as possible. The earlier, the better. That way they could avoid people and get to the Pokemon Center faster, giving them enough time to be seen by Nurse Joy, contact Reggie, inform Officer Jenny of the traps, and get a room to stay in. "There's so much to do." Brock pushed himself into a sitting position. "Better get started."

Brock changed into a fresh pair of clothes then left his tent to wake everyone. Ash, Dawn, and Paul all didn't like idea of waking early, especially after the night they had. Now they were all outside by the campfire, sharing the same tired expression. "I'm sorry you guys, but I figured we should get going in order to avoid drawing attention to ourselves. I know Paul would appreciate that." Brock made a gesture, to which Paul nodded in response.

"It's alright, Brock." Ash yawned. "You plan makes sense to me."

"Yeah, it's okay." Dawn yawned as well.

Paul yawned soon after, and then Brock. Brock then shot Ash a glare. "Look what you started..."

"Hey! Sorry, but I couldn't help it!" Ash said back.

"It's too early for this..." Paul stated, clearly annoyed.

Dawn nodded. "I agree. Come on you guys, let's pack up and go."

"Mhm." The boys said in unison.

It took around ten minutes for Brock, Dawn, Paul, and Ash to fully clear the campsite. Everyone took care of their individual belongings before taking down the tents. Paul had help, of course. After everything was taken care of, Brock woke Ursaring and thanked her for all that she did for them.

"Ring~" Ursaring smiled, she was glad she could help.

Teddiursa woke soon after, wasting no time finding Paul. He was sitting by what was left of the campfire. "Sa sa!"

"Hey, Teddiursa." Paul smiled, lifting her in the air. "Nice to see that you're awake. Did you sleep well?"

"Rwa, Ur-sa!" Teddiursa giggled, she sleep very well.

"I guess that means yes then, right?" Paul set her down in front of him. "Listen Teddiursa,..." Teddiursa looked confused, noticing a change in Paul's voice. "It's time for me to go now."

"Rwa-rwa?" She didn't seem to understand.

"I, uh... have to go." Paul didn't know how to explain it any other way.

"Sa..." Teddiursa thought about it for a little while and soon caught on to what he was trying to say. She saddened a bit, before nuzzling Paul's hand.

"I'll miss you, too." Paul said as he removed Ash's hat before stroking her ears. "But, we can stay good friends, okay?" Teddiursa nodded before giving him a hug. The best hug she could ever give to anyone.

"Hey, Paul!" Ash waved from across camp, where he waited with Dawn. "We have to get going!"

"Yeah, I'm coming!" Paul said back, before looking to Teddiursa. "I hope we'll meet again soon. Stay safe for me." Teddiursa nodded one last time before scurrying off to join her mother, waving goodbye as they began to leave.

Brock walked over to Paul, who now finished waving. He held out a hand to help him up. "You ready to go?"

Paul took his hand. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Brock helped him onto his feet. "Alright, get on."

"Get on...?" Paul simply stared at him, completely confused.

Brock bent down for him to get on his back. "How else are you going to get to Hearthrome City?"

"Oh." Paul stated flatly, clearly opposed to the idea. "Torterra can take me."

"That might draw too much attention to us, especially in the city." Brock said innocently. "You don't want that, do you?" Paul forgot about that and hated that Brock made a valid point. He sighed in defeat, handing Brock Ash's hat then reluctantly climbed up. "There, comfy?" Brock asked, now making his way over to Ash and Dawn.

"Shut up." Paul said, punching him in the back.

"Ouch! Hey-I'm injured to you know!"

Dawn turned around just as they arrived. "What's wrong now?"

"Nothing." Paul folded his arms, but moved them back onto Brock's shoulders after losing his balance.

"Careful up there." Ash giggled. "You need some help?"

"NO."

"Fine, your highness!" Ash took his hat from Brock. "At least you get a piggy-back ride. I have to walk."

"YOU THINK I WANT TO BE UP HERE!?" Paul yelled, earning laughter from everyone. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY!?"

 **The End.**

 **This is end of it. And, the end of 2017. Happy New Year everyone!**

 **Thanks for staying with my over the course of almost three years. Hopefully this was worth the wait.**


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